Somewhere Only We Know: Sequel to Becoming Trunks
by flamingo6584
Summary: Seven years have passed since the summer when Trunks was 18 years old. How has he handled the responsibility of running Capsule Corp. and how has he gotten over his first love? Sorry for the Title Change-again
1. Seven Years Later

**Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ. Akira Toriyama does and this will hold true for the whole story.**

**Author's note: This takes place after the GT saga**

**Somewhere Only We Know: Sequel to Becoming Trunks**

_**Song by Keane**_

_I walked across and empty land_

_I knew the pathway like the back of my hand_

_I felt the earth, beneath my feet_

_Sat by the river and it made me complete_

_Oh simple thing where have you gone_

_I'm getting old and I need something to rely on_

_So tell me when you're gonna let me in_

_I'm getting tired and I need somewhere to begin_

Alone. That was the only way Trunks could describe how his life had been since he had spent that long-ago summer with Miyuki. Since then, he had a string of short relationships, mostly one-night stands. Women fell at his feet, but most of them only because of his social position as the young, handsome, and very wealthy CEO of Capsule Corporation. Trunks took advantage of his lofty status to the fullest and with as many women as possible. Even so, none of them could compare to the one woman who remained in his blood.

Seven years had passed since he said good-bye to her—seven long and lonely years. He had been on many adventures since then, even saving the earth at one point, but he never truly got over her, no matter how hard he tried.

Thanks to their mutual Capsule Corporation connections, he saw her regularly via closed-circuit meetings and talked to her many times on conference calls. Several times during these meetings, he would catch himself drifting off from the on-going conversations to stare at her image on the video screen as she spoke. He rarely was able to concentrate when she was making one of her presentations. Also, he had endless email exchanges with her regarding their shared business concerns, but those never evolved into anything beyond standard shoptalk.

For Trunks, it was as if she had erased the memory of their short time together from her memory. Miyuki had achieved her goal, becoming a powerhouse of drive and determination and putting the North American branch on the map. She was undeniably the biggest asset the company had—she could probably even do his job better than him. But as long as he held the last name of "Briefs", Trunks would be the one destined to run the company.

Sitting at his desk high above the city, he flicked the pen in his hand and read through the endless forms that needed his approvals and signatures. Finally tiring of reading the same line over five times, he put down his paper and pen and leaned back in his office chair. He took a deep breath and rubbed his eyes.

"Mr. Briefs?" inquired a feminine voice from the intercom speaker. "There is a woman here to see you."

Trunks looked at the speaker and sighed. "Tell her I am very busy and can't be disturbed," he replied in an irritated tone.

There was no immediate reply. Trunks figured the silence meant that his secretary was discretely getting rid of whoever it was so he went back to trying to read the invoices.

"Mr. Briefs, I'm sorry to bother you," came the secretary's voice again. "Your visitor said to tell you that Miyuki He of the North American division is here to see you. She was very insistent on talking to you."

Trunks opened his eyes wide as he looked at the speaker. Could it really be her right outside his door after all this time? Was she here on business, or did she come to see him? "Give me five minutes and then let her in," was Trunks' response.

"Yes, sir." And the intercom went dead.

Trunks jumped up from his chair, grabbed his suit jacket, and ran into his private bath. Looking at himself in the mirror, he combed his hair quickly and brushed his teeth. He straightened his tie and collar, put on his jacket, stared at his reflection for a second or two, then took the jacket back off again before scurrying back into the office. With a good minute or so remaining, he began to pace back and forth. He had rehearsed in his head all the things he would say to her if they ever met again face-to-face, but none of the practiced phrases were coming to mind. It was as if he was eighteen again and going on his first date. "Why does she do this to me?" he said out loud.

"I am sending her in now, Mr. Briefs," said the secretary's voice over the intercom.

"Thanks," replied Trunks, positioning himself behind his desk with his back to the door.

Miyuki opened the door and entered the president's office. She took a deep breath. The first thing she spotted was his lavender hair. As she slowly walked into the office, Trunks turned to face her. "Hi," said Miyuki.

Trunks smiled. "Ms. He," he replied formally. "To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?" He could have kicked himself for how stupid he sounded! He had a million questions he wanted to ask her, but that seemed like the most appropriate one to start with.

"I came in person because I have something important to give to you," she stated simply. She sat down in one of his office chairs, opened her briefcase, and pulled out a large, manila envelope. She looked at it for a second, then looked up into his face and held the envelope out to him, saying, "Here."

He took the envelope from her hand, while also taking a good look at her. These days, Miyuki wore her brown hair at shoulder-length and she was dressed in a tailored business suit. The trendy, dangly earrings that she had once favored were long gone, replaced by simple, yet elegant jeweled studs. Her smile was still dazzling, though. Trunks sat down at his desk and sliced open the sealed envelope with a dagger-shaped letter opener. He pulled out the printed document and began reading. By the time his eyes scanned the last line, his face had turned to shock. "What the hell is this?" he asked.

"It is my letter of resignation," replied Miyuki softly. She put her briefcase on the floor and looked at him again. "I can't do this anymore."

"But I…we need you! You are the backbone of this company! I can't run it without you!"

"Yes, you can, Trunks."

"So, that's it? You just hand me this letter with no explanation and expect me to just let you go?"

"If you want an explanation, then just ask me for one. You don't have to get all dramatic about it!" she snapped.

Trunks blinked in surprise. He wasn't used to anyone talking back to him this way. Most of his associates cowered whenever he became demanding. On top if it all, having her here and so close was making him feel as though he was making a total idiot of himself. He hadn't felt like this in such a long time-seven years to be exact—and he needed to regain control. Trunks took a deep breath and put on his business face. "Okay. Would you please give me an explanation, Miss He?"

She twisted her lips into an annoyed grimace. "So, we are going to be formal now, are we? Alright, _Mr. Briefs_, let's start from the top. I am burned out. Last month, I just turned thirty years old and am still waiting for my life to start. I miss my home and my friends. Recently, I found my birth mother who I haven't seen since I was six." She paused to catch a sighing breath. "These past years, I have given my all to this company and I just can't do it anymore."

"So, you don't even want your old job back?" said Trunks in desperation.

"No. I've given it a lot of thought and what I really want is to start over with my own business. I am not quite sure what, yet, but I do know that I need to start living my life instead of watching it fly by." She looked down at her hands and bit her lip.

Trunks looked at her as she sat with her eyes downcast. Some of what she had just said finally registered in his brain and his look softened. "You found your mother? How did you find her?" he asked.

Looking up at him, she replied, "I hired a private detective. Turns out she lives pretty close to here. I probably passed her by on the street any number of times and wouldn't even have recognized her. The private eye was able to obtain her number and, once I made contact, the two of us talked on the phone several times before actually meeting in person. I have been in town for a week now trying to decide what to do next. After spending time with her and being back home, I felt the time was right for me to give you my resignation."

"Was she happy to see you?" questioned Trunks as he got up from his chair and came around the desk. He leaned back against the desk directly across from her.

"Yes! She was ecstatic! All this time, I believed that she skipped out on my father and me, but then I learned the truth. It was my father that drove her away. She wanted to take me with her, but he wouldn't allow it. Even though she wasn't permitted contact with me, she told me that she followed my career, but never came forward to tell me who she was, afraid I would reject her after all of these years. She cried when we finally met." Miyuki smiled with slightly misty eyes, as she thought about their first face-to-face meeting. "We look a lot alike."

"She must be beautiful then," stated Trunks, looking directly into her eyes.

Miyuki turned her gaze down to her hands again, strangely embarrassed by his compliment. "Anyway, I wanted to deliver that to you personally—since you are my boss and all," she said with a small grin.

"Have lunch with me," suggested Trunks.

"Do you really think that is such a good idea?" asked Miyuki, with a wide-eyed look.

"Just to discuss business, of course," pointed out Trunks as he crossed his arms.

She flashed him her most dazzling smile. "Oh yeah, right. I guess it would be okay then." Picking up her briefcase, she turned toward the door, while Trunks, on the other hand, headed for the window. She turned back and eyed him with confusion on her face. "Sorry, I thought you meant right now."

"I did. I prefer to go out this way," he said pointing to the window.

"Don't you need to tell your secretary where you are going?" she asked.

"I never do. She's used to it."

Miyuki shook her head at him. No wonder his secretary could never tell her if he was in his office whenever she called to talk to him—he never was. "I prefer to stay on the ground, thank you."

"Suit yourself," he said, a little disappointed. He picked up his suit jacket and followed her out the office door. "I'll be out of the office for a while," he announced to his secretary, who looked at him with a shocked expression. "This is a business lunch. Miss He happens to be the vice-president of our North American branch."

"A pleasure to meet you Miss He. I thought that was who you were, but one never knows with Mr. Briefs. So many strange women show up here, asking to see him…oh, I guess I shouldn't have said that!"

Trunks rolled his eyes. "Don't worry about it." He was actually glad she said it because it might have made Miyuki a little jealous. "Don't expect me back for the rest of the afternoon," he stated with authority.

"Yes, sir," replied the secretary, blushing a little under his stern look.

Miyuki bit her lip as they walked out of the office down the hallway. "Are you always that mean to your secretary?" she finally asked while they stood waiting for the executive elevator.

"Well, for a while I had a new one just about every week, but this latest one seems to have lasted a while. She puts up with me," Trunks answered breezily, shrugging his broad shoulders for emphasis. Miyuki again shook her head. Now_that_ was hardly a corporate secret. In fact, it was the biggest running joke circulating throughout all levels of Capsule Corp. Just about everyone in the company knew of the president's indiscretions with his secretaries. "Mom found this one and gives her some kind of bonus every time she threatens to quit. Besides, she's not my type," he added with a smirk.

At that disclosure, Miyuki kept silent and rolled her eyes as they entered the elevator. When the doors hissed open on the main floor, the sounds of the busy first-floor office before them quickly died away. She couldn't help noticing that several young girls poked their heads out of their offices to catch a glimpse of the gorgeous CEO of Capsule Corp, while others "prairie-dogged" over their cubicle partitions. Like a member of royalty, Trunks nodded to them and smiled pleasantly as the two of them walked by. Miyuki was beginning to get a good picture of what the president really spent his time doing within these walls, besides conducting business.

The company limousine was waiting for them when they got outside the front door. The limo driver opened the door for them and the pair got in. "Where to, sir?" asked the driver over his shoulder as he settled himself behind the wheel.

"My favorite restaurant," replied Trunks, sitting back in the seat and putting his arms behind his head. It became obvious to Miyuki that handling all the attention and prestige of came with being president was no problem for Trunks. But she could also see that he was not as adept at the actual running of the company as he ought to be.

As the limo approached the restaurant, Miyuki watched as a number of people quickly scrambled about the front entrance, obviously recognizing the car and who was in it. The driver smoothly pulled up to the awning-covered walkway, got out, and opened the door for the pair in the back seat. They were immediately greeted by a fawning maitre d' and he escorted them to the best table in the place. The maitre d' pulled the chair out for Trunks first, and then for Miyuki. "Your usual, Mr. Briefs?"

"That's fine. What would you like, Miss He?" asked Trunks looking at her eyes.

"Water with a slice of lemon is fine for me," replied Miyuki. The maitre d' nodded courteously to both of them and left. Once they were alone, she sat back in her chair and looked coolly at Trunks. "So, what did you want to talk about, _Mr. Briefs_?"

"You can stop calling me that now," Trunks responded in a cordial, but business-like tone. "You still remember my first name, don't you?" Trunks could hardly believe he was sitting with her! On the inside, he was doing back-flips, but he preferred to play it cool and detached on the outside. There were a million questions floating around in his head that he wanted to ask of her.

The waiter came back with their drinks and they ordered lunch. There was an awkward silence between them after the waiter left, neither one wanting to ask the questions that they had of each other. Finally, Miyuki spoke up, "So, how have you been…Trunks?"

"Fine. How about you?" He had been anything but fine, but didn't want her to know that without her, he had been unbearably lonely.

"How do you like running the company?" asked Miyuki, ignoring his question.

"Hate it." Trunks could feel the tension hanging like a stone between them, but he could play this game just as well as she could. His skills at manipulation had improved greatly since taking the president's job. "How do you like working for me?"

She raised an eyebrow at him and frowned. "Hate it," came out of her mouth in a nasty tone before she could stop it. Miyuki didn't want to sit and make inane small talk with him for the next hour or so. What she really wanted to do was smack him across his arrogant face for all the aggravation he'd put her through and with which she had to deal since he took over the company, but managed to restrain herself.

"Is it that bad?" he asked with surprise and regret in his voice. His facial features softened as he glanced at her.

Not swayed one bit by his apologetic look, she returned his stare right into his eyes. "Well, if you call doing all the work and getting none of the credit an accomplishment, then things are just bloody peachy!" she declared sarcastically.

"That's not true! I was always aware that you were doing all the work. You single-handedly made the North American branch what it is today!"

"If you knew that, then why did you sit on your hands and let Mitsu take all the credit? He is a fool!" Her anger and bitterness was more than obvious as she spoke of her superior. "Or, was this just your oh-so-subtle way of getting back at me for leaving you?"

Trunks opened his eyes wide when her words were spoken. He never intended to hurt her. "I don't know what you are talking about. I had no idea—!"

"You had no idea because you have been and continue to be oblivious as to what's really been going on right under your nose, preferring instead to do whateveryou want to do, whenever you want to do it. And to hell with the rest of us, who sacrifice everything to keep this company afloat! Don't think for one second that I haven't kept track of what you have been doing…you know what? This was a huge mistake!" She started to get up from her chair to leave.

Trunks grabbed her hand tightly and forcibly turned her to face him. "Don't leave. Please?" he pleaded with her. Perhaps his lack of recognition for her efforts had initially been out of spite, but until that moment he hadn't begun to realize what a fool _he_ truly had been. All of this time, she was the one who had kept the company together, and he just let her do it, never acknowledging her accomplishments.

She looked at him with contempt filling her features. She almost started screaming at him, but just gritted her teeth, once she realized that the other diners were beginning to stare at them. Instead of making a scene, she slowly sat back down at the table. "It is high time for you to start _actually running_ Capsule Corp., Trunks," she said in a low, angry voice. "Without me around as your safety net, you will have no choice in the matter. I am doing this as much for you as for me because I never stopped caring about you, even when I hated you."

Everything clicked at that moment for Trunks. It was not Miyuki who had willingly erased him from her memory—he had been the one to cause _her_ to hate him. He had used her all these years to cover his shirking his responsibilities. "I will fire Mitsu this afternoon and make you president. Better yet, you can have my job."

"No, Trunks. I don't want to be president. As of today, I am through working for you and Capsule Corp. I want to enjoy my life. I have a real family now. I want to take time to get to know my mom and maybe someday get married and have a child. This decision didn't come easily for me, Trunks. I did a lot of soul-searching in the last year. When I reached a point that made me feel as if all I wanted to do was get drunk, I knew then that it was time to move on, to make a drastic change. I haven't touched a drop of alcohol for seven years, since our summer together. You are the only person who makes me want to drink, and that is just not good for me."

Timidly, the waiter approached the table with their lunch. Trunks turned to face him and, seeing the food in his hand, motioned for him to come over. He also noticed several people staring at them with wide-eyed expressions. The waiter placed the food on the table and quickly left. Trunks looked down at his food, not knowing what to say next.

"This is not a good place for us to be having this conversation," said Miyuki. She, too, had noticed the expressions on the nosy patrons surrounding them.

"Yeah, you're right," replied Trunks. He made an attempt to eat, but each bite got caught in his throat and felt like a rock falling into his stomach. "Where are you staying?" he finally managed to ask.

"At a hotel. I decided not to stay at the corporate suites since I wasn't going to be with the corporation much longer," she replied, matter-of-factly.

"You are really serious about this? You really want to give up all the money and power that this company has given to you?" This statement was his last ditch effort to get her to change her mind, forgetting for the moment that when Miyuki had made up her mind, there was no changing it. She would go to the ends of the earth to make what she wanted happen.

She looked up from her untouched plate, disgusted by his remark. She forcefully threw her napkin at his face and got up from her seat. "I am leaving. Don't try to manipulate me like you do everyone else in this company. I am not one of your puppets!"

Trunks watched her storm out of the restaurant. "Boy, did I royally screw that up!" he groaned out loud. He motioned for the waiter to bring him the check and paid for the uneaten lunch. He exited the restaurant and asked the maitre d' where Miyuki had gone. He told Trunks that she had gotten a taxi and, as she'd gotten into the vehicle, he'd overheard her tell the driver to take her to the Satan City Suites. As soon as he heard that, Trunks told his limo driver to take the rest of the day off, and took flight to find her at the hotel.

Author's note: OK, what do you think? Is this what you thought would happen? Please review.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Trunks flew at lightning speed towards the Satan City Hotel and Suites. He landed on the roof of the building across the street from the hotel and looked down onto the busy street below. Sure enough, Miyuki's cab pulled up to the entrance and she got out from the back of the car. Trunks descended into the alley between his building and the next one over and emerged in the street just as Miyuki was walking through the hotel's revolving doors. He hesitated, uncertain if he should try to get her attention or just follow her up to her room. When he did enter into the hotel lobby, he caught her already stepping into the elevator and the doors quickly closing behind her. He stood and watched the numbers rise on the elevator's display until they stopped at the number ten. The corner of his mouth turned up in triumph. He was able to deduce that she was staying on the tenth floor, but how could he figure out what room she was in?

Trunks grinned at his reflection in the polished elevator doors, before turning and walking to the reception desk of the hotel. The female clerk behind the front desk immediately recognized him and scurried over to where he was, eager to help him in any way possible. "I need to know what room Miyuki He is staying in," stated Trunks with presidential authority.

The clerk smiled at him, then turned to her computer and began clicking away on the keyboard. Her cheerful face turned serious as she looked back at Trunks. "I am sorry, Mr. Briefs, but Miss He does not wish for her room number to be given out to anyone. She left explicit instructions with the manager of the hotel on this matter."

Trunks smiled his most cunning and persuasive smile at the clerk and then softly asked her, "I am sure she would want to make an exception for me, don't you," he paused and looked down at her nametag, "Mari?" He then winked at her.

The clerk blushed and nervously glanced down at her computer screen. Just as he had expected, she grabbed a pen and paper, jotted down the room number and quickly handed it to Trunks, before anyone else could notice. When he reached for the paper, he made sure to brush against her hand with his and mouthed the words "thank you" to her. As he walked away, she blinked and swooned, swearing to herself that she would never wash her hand again where he had touched it.

Trunks chuckled under his breath. It was so easy, he thought. Most women were more than willing to give him whatever he wanted. Perhaps that was why Miyuki was the only woman who stole his heart. She never gave him an easy time of it, and most certainly did not give him whatever he wanted. Before getting on the elevator, he went into the hotel gift shop and picked up a small bouquet of flowers, remembering the first time he asked her out. He then got on the elevator and rode it to the tenth floor. Before knocking on her door, he straightened his tie a little and ran his hand through his hair. He squared his shoulders and took a deep breath. This time things would be different—this time he was going to be strong. He knocked on the door.

Miyuki had been sitting on her bed when she heard the knock at her door. She had just finished changing out of her business suit and into a more comfortable outfit of sweat pants and a sleeveless t-shirt. She was pulling her hair back into a ponytail when she heard the knock. She walked over to the door and looked through the peephole. When she saw who it was, she backed up a little and took a deep breath. She unlatched the door and opened it.

Trunks met her eyes and they stared at each other for a passing moment before Miyuki broke the silence. "What do you want?" she asked dryly.

"I thought we should talk some more—in private," he said and handed her the flowers.

Miyuki took the flowers and turned away from him. When she walked by the dresser, she dropped them on it, not bothering to put them in water. Then she walked over to a chair and sat down. "So, what else is there to say? I was pretty much done with what I had to say to you."

Trunks shut the door and followed her into the room. As he sat down on the foot of the bed, he noticed some sketches spread on top of the bedspread. Upon closer examination, he spied a partially finished drawing of what looked like him. "What's this?"

"Nothing!" said Miyuki and quickly attempted to gather up the drawings and place them in her briefcase. Trunks quickly snatched the picture he had been curious about and stood up, holding it above her head. Miyuki tried to jump up and grab it, but could not reach, so she dropped her arms and looked at him in desperation. "It's nothing, really!"

"This looks like me. I had no idea you could draw like this." Trunks said, genuinely amazed, again looking at the picture in his hand.

"I have always loved to draw, I just never made the time to do it."

The second Trunks brought his hand down, she nabbed the paper and put it back in her briefcase with her other drawings. "Can you get on with what you have to say, because I have a dinner date." In truth, Miyuki's date was with her old friend Sayuri, but she didn't want Trunks to know that.

Trunks looked at her, unsure of what to do next. At this point in his life, he had become so used to getting his way through manipulating people, especially women, that he didn't know how to handle her. It became obvious to him that she had no intention of falling for his usual tricks. He looked down at the floor, silently searching for exactly the right words to say. He then looked back at her and stated simply, "I've missed you."

Miyuki stared at him with a disgusted look on her face. "Well, you sure have a funny way of showing it," she said mockingly as she plopped back into the chair.

"What do you want me to do to make this up to you? Is there anything at all I could say to you that would make you want to take your job back?"

"I want you to run your company the way it is supposed to be run...and stay out of my life."

Trunks looked up at the ceiling and shook his head. "If you know so much about running Capsule Corp., then tell me what to do!"

Miyuki got up from the chair and grabbed her briefcase. Out of it, she pulled several manila folders and her day planner and handed them to Trunks. "Here is everything I still have that pertains to Capsule Corp. I suggest you give this stuff to whomever you hire to replace me. You don't need me to tell you what to do. That is why I am quitting. You need to figure that out yourself."

Trunks gritted his teeth. "You're not going to cut me any slack, are you?" he asked, chuckling.

"Not likely," answered Miyuki, tossing her briefcase onto the bed.

"How will I ever replace you?"

"In the business world, everyone is expendable, Trunks. As President, you need to realize that harsh fact. Find someone who isn't afraid to speak his or her mind to you, and who will be brutally honest with you. Don't put another 'yes' man, like Mitsu, into that position."

"If you move back here, I can't promise to stay out of your life. I have kept track of you as well, and I know there is no man in your life right now."

"How would you know that?" If the truth were known, there wasn't. She had been on a few dates since their summer together, but nothing ever worked out. Her ambition and career had taken up too much of her attention for her to have any type of social life.

"I just know. I know everything you have done for the last seven years."

Miyuki sat back in her chair and crossed her arms. "Okay, so what do you know?"

"I know that you went out with around five different men, and that they all dumped you. I also know your date tonight is not with a man, but with your friend, Sayuri."

Miyuki opened her eyes wide and made a disgusted grunt. "How did you know my date was with Sayuri?"

"Actually, I didn't know that, I just made a wild guess." He smirked at her. "If it wasn't with her, either you would tell me with whom it was...or I would eventually find out regardless."

She shook her head and looked towards the open window. "I am not sure I like you very much right now. You are almost scary...almost."

Trunks chuckled and scratched the back of his head. "I might not have learned much by way of running a company, but I did learn how to stay well-informed!"

The two of them sat in silence, each trying to figure out what the other was thinking; neither not willing to admit how lonely and desperate they had become. Finally, Miyuki broke the awkward silence, "How is your mom?"

"She's about the same. She still helps out in the lab. I can't get her to slow down."

Miyuki smiled at his remark. Bulma was another person whose company she had missed terribly while she had been away. "Maybe I will call her."

"She'd like that." Trunks glanced about the room and saw a newspaper with some words circled sitting on an end table. Curious, he walked over to the paper and picked it up. It was folded open to the section showing current apartment rental listings. Trunks didn't want to look at her. His emotions were becoming too jumbled up inside. He wanted to hold her close and tell her how much she meant to him, but he also didn't want her to see any weakness within him. He was not allowed to be weak in his current position. "You can stay at Capsule Corp.; that is, until you find a more permanent place."

"No, I can stay here till I find a place. I was going to go apartment hunting tomorrow."

"I have a fully-furnished apartment at Capsule Corp. It's pretty nice, but I still end up going to Mom's for dinner most nights." _It would be perfect if you came and stayed with me so that I had something wonderful to come home to, _he thought. He turned to face her. She was still sitting in the chair, but not as tense as she had been a few moments ago. She also looked much more comfortable in what she was currently wearing than in the business suit she had on earlier. "We have both changed, haven't we?" he asked with a hint of regret in his voice.

Miyuki nodded her head in agreement. "The last thing you said to me before I got on the plane was that you wouldn't change."

"And, as I recall, you said I would." Another long, uncomfortable silence ensued until finally Trunks decided it would be best if he just left. "You know where to find me, if you need anything," He returned the paper to the end table and walked toward the door. When he reached the door, he stopped and looked back at her. She had risen from the chair and had moved closer to him. "Good-bye, Miyuki."

"Good-bye, Trunks," she replied softly. They stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity, each asking themselves the same question: Had both of them really changed so much that they couldn't be together now? He watched her move closer to him and he took his hand off the doorknob. All at once, Miyuki abandoned her self-control and ran towards him, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck. Trunks returned her hug, just as hard, wrapping his arms around her waist.

They clung to each other, neither one wanting to be the first to let go. Miyuki felt that if she let go, she might have to give some sort of explanation for her behavior, and she couldn't explain it. Trunks held on, afraid he might never get the chance to hold her again. Her hair was a little shorter, but everything else about her felt the same as he remembered. In the far reaches of his memory, he had never forgotten her scent, the curves of her body, and the softness of her hair, no matter how hard he tried. He tipped his head back slightly and whispered in her ear, "I never forgot you, Miyuki."

She closed her eyes delighting in the feel of his breath against her ear. She moved her head back, welcoming the touch of his lips, running across the skin of her neck and under her chin. Miyuki interlaced her fingers in his lavender hair as he continued kissing the skin of her neck. His mouth moved upward to her mouth so that he could satisfy his craving for her lips that he had felt since the moment he laid eyes on her in his office. Eagerly, Miyuki returned his kiss, barely able to catch her breath.

Miyuki suddenly got a huge dose of conscience and pulled away from his kiss. When she gazed at those mesmerizing blue eyes, she saw a glimpse of the old Trunks she remembered. They stared into each other's eyes, neither knowing what to say or do next. Miyuki bit her lip and finally whispered, "What now?"

"I'm not sure," said Trunks softly as he brought his hand up to rest on her cheek.

She closed her eyes and let her head lean into his warm hand. It felt so good to be touched again, especially by him. She had missed his gentle touch. She reached up and caressed his hand with her own, gently stroking his fingers.

Trunks wanted to pick her up and throw her on the bed, to spend the rest of the afternoon rediscovering the curves of her body, but he knew that this wasn't right for them at that moment. "Miyuki," he said, and she opened her eyes to gaze once more at him. "Give me the time that I need to make things right at Capsule Corp. Then we can finish what we have started here."

Miyuki nodded in agreement, although in her heart the last thing she wanted to do was let him go out the door of her hotel room.

Trunks put his other hand on her opposite cheek and pulled her to him, kissing her on the forehead. He turned to leave, but Miyuki stopped him. "Don't forget these." She quickly retrieved the stack of folders and her day planner and placed the items into his hands.

He smiled at her and said, "Thanks." She watched him walk out the door and close it behind him.

Instead of being relieved or elated by what had just happened, Miyuki dropped down onto the hotel bed, feeling more defeated than ever. How many times had she told herself that she would not allow herself to become involved with him again? Before today, her being so far removed in North America had helped her emotionally distance herself away from him. Before this moment, it had been much easier to envision Trunks Briefs as her enemy, the bane of her existence, causing her more grief in the last seven years than she had ever thought possible. Now he was here, in person; his muscles and his lips, undoing in a few scant minutes all her carefully laid-out plans. Sighing as she stood up, she looked over at the dresser and stared at the flowers he had brought. In a fit of exasperation, she picked them up and heaved them at the door, scattering petals all about the entryway. "How can I hate and love someone so much at the same time?" she said out loud.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Once he departed Miyuki's hotel, Trunks headed straight back to his office. By the time he returned, it was well past quitting time for most of the staff, so he didn't get nearly as many of the usual, big-eyed looks when he made his way through the main work area. He purposely avoided making eye contact with anyone, no longer feeling quite like the cocky CEO that had strutted out of this building prior to his lunch with Miyuki. As he got off his private elevator, he saw his secretary still sitting at her desk, busily fielding his phone calls. She looked up from her desk at the sound of the elevator doors, shocked that her boss had returned. "Mr. Briefs! I didn't expect you back today."

"Ms. Cho? Get something to write on and come into my office in about five minutes. We have a fire to put out."

With a wide-eyed expression, she watched Trunks enter his office and slam the door behind him. She quickly called her husband and told him not to expect her for dinner. Judging from her boss' serious expression, she got a gut feeling something major was about to hit the fan, and figured she should be here for it.

Trunks quickly shoved the stack of unsigned invoices to a far corner of his desk and spread out the materials Miyuki had given to him onto the cleared surface. Settling himself into his office chair, he reached first for the day planner and began thumbing through it. Most of the pages were covered with notations written in her neat hand and every available blank space had been filled with appointments and messages. He turned to the current month and, seeing that no commitments were listed past the current week, surmised that Miyuki had made up her mind to resign well before her vacation that last week. On the date square before her vacation, she had written the word "Freedom" in large, bold letters. He then flipped through the remaining blank date pages to the "Notes" section in the back of the planner. There he found several pictures of himself inserted between the pages; a couple of which he recognized as corporate publicity shots but a few of them were less than flattering. One in particular had a knife drawn through his chest with blood splattering in every direction—he could tell that she had used red felt-tip pen for maximum gory effect. Wincing slightly, Trunks scrunched up his features, remembering a certain meeting from a few months prior in which Miyuki had unhappily reacted to an off-the-cuff decision that he carelessly made. After she'd voiced her protest to his decision, he recalled seeing her retreat into her day planner to take more notes, or so he'd thought. "So, that's what she was _really _doing while I was speaking," he stated out loud, and stuffed the picture in his pocket. He closed the planner before putting it down and began looking into the other folders, each filled with information about the North American branch.

Trunks looked up from the pile on his desk the second he heard the door open. Ms. Cho walked briskly into the office with steno pad and pen in hand, all set to take down the information that Trunks was going to pass on to her. "Are you ready for me, Mr. Briefs?"

"Yes, come in and sit down." Ms. Cho did as she was told and Trunks began. "Ms. Cho? Would you happen to know if I have one of these calendar, planner, things somewhere?"

Ms. Cho attempted to hold back a smile, but it was obvious she was amused at his question. "Actually, Mr. Briefs, I keep a laptop with all your important appointments at my desk for your use anytime you need it. Would you like me to show it to you?"

"You do?" Trunks looked at her with confusion on his face. "Yeah, go get it, please," he said and Ms. Cho scurried off to get the laptop. When she returned, she showed Trunks his appointment calendar for the current year. Scanning through the entries, he realized that he had frequently missed important meetings. "Ms. Cho? What is your first name?"

Ms. Cho had another look of surprise on her face as she answered the question. "Akemi," she answered.

"Would you mind if I address you by your first name? And please, call me Trunks." If he were really going to make a difference from this point forward, he would have to begin tapping into all of his resources, beginning with the very efficient Ms. Cho. "Akemi, I could really use your help right now because I need to figure out how to run this company responsibly. You seem to know a lot more than I about how things ought to be done around here."

Upon hearing that admission, she smiled and nodded. "Thank you, Mr. Briefs...I mean Trunks. I will do all that I can to help you."

He took a quick breath and plunged forward. "Alright, the first thing I would like to do is call an emergency meeting of all the board members from both sides of the globe. Earlier today, Miyuki He, the vice-president of the North American division, gave me her resignation. Our lunch together was spent with me trying to talk her out of her decision, but she was just as determined not to take it back." He waved his hands over the folders strewn about his desk. "In parting, she released these documents to me, which she had compiled over the past seven years. I understand that they contain important information about not only the North American branch, but also about the company in general. We need to go through them and find out what they contain before the emergency meeting takes place. Can you help me?"

"Certainly! I will contact all the officers right now and then we can get started on going over this information."

"Thank you," said Trunks, relieved. As he watched her rush back out to her desk to make the phone calls, he reclined back in his chair and took in a deep breath. Picking up his desk phone, he called the one person in whose judgment about company matters he trusted more than any other. "Hi, Mom. I need your help. Big time."

"What's wrong, honey?" asked Bulma of her firstborn.

"Miyuki came to my office today to personally hand me her resignation," replied Trunks with desperation growing in his voice. "I don't know how I am going to replace her."

"Are you in the office now?"

"Yes, I am. But, Mom..."

"I'm on my way, Trunks. You stay right there," her voice said smartly, right before he heard a click in his ear.

* * *

Soon after Trunks had left her hotel room, Miyuki called her best friend. "Doesn't sound like he was terribly happy with your decision to resign," commented Sayuri, after Miyuki told her what had just taken place.

"No, he wasn't happy at all," sighed Miyuki. In her mind she knew she shouldn't care how he reacted, but in her heart, she hated to cause him any pain. "Can I come over to your place for a short visit? I really feel the need to get out of here and regain my composure."

"I do have a spare bedroom, you know. You could stay here with me till you find your own apartment."

"I think I will take you up on that, as long as your husband doesn't mind," replied Miyuki. She so admired her best friend for finding love and happiness. These were the things she also wanted so desperately, but had eluded her so far.

"Then pack up your things and check out of that place right now. "And don't worry. Nori will be fine with it. He likes you a lot. He told me so."

A relieved and grateful Miyuki agreed and quickly packed up her belongings. She phoned the front desk to make arrangements to have her luggage brought down from the room and to call her a taxi. After her bags were packed, she quickly ran around the room picking up as many of the flower petals as she could before the bell-cap knocked on her door. She also decided not to leave any forwarding information with the front desk, as she did not want to make it easy for Trunks to find her. She figured he would eventually locate her, but she'd make him work for it.

Arriving at Sayuri's house, Miyuki exited the taxi and got her luggage out of the trunk. Nori, Sayuri's new husband, emerged from the house and helped her carry her things in. "You really don't mind if I stay here, Nori?" asked Miyuki, a bit anxious.

"Not at all. You are my wife's best friend. I wouldn't have it any other way," replied Nori, giving her a ready grin.

Miyuki followed Nori into the house to find her best friend sitting at the kitchen table feeding their little daughter, Hana. "Hi there little angel!" said Miyuki as she greeted the beautiful baby in the high chair. Hana tilted her head up at the cheery voice and gave Miyuki a bright, four-toothed smile while little puddles of drool dripped off the corners of her mouth. The baby was almost a year old and, because she had been half a world away, Miyuki had missed out on all of Hana's first milestones. "You are so lucky to have this wonderful family. I envy you."

"You envy me?" Sayuri stopped the napkin halfway towards Hana's slobbery mouth and chuckled. "You who have lived overseas was a powerful, glamorous, business executive, envy _me_?"

"It's not all it's cracked up to be. I am just now starting to realize that fact." Miyuki gazed at the precious little bundle of joy as she tried to pick up cereal in her stubby little fingers and put it in her mouth. Hana had pieces of food all over her face, but didn't have a care in the world except getting the next piece into her mouth. Miyuki felt an ache deep inside in a place that she never felt before. She wanted a child, desperately. "So, are you excited about meeting Miya?" she asked Sayuri.

"You mean your mom? Of course! I still can't believe you found her so easily. She was right here in the city all this time and we never knew."

Miyuki still couldn't manage to use the words "mom" or "mother" whenever she referred to her long-lost parent. For now, she preferred to call her by her first name, Miya, and let it go. "I am surprised we didn't bump into each other on the street and do a double-take. She and I look so much alike. It is weird."

Feeling ignored, Hana suddenly let out a baby scream to get her mommy's attention. Sayuri smiled before turning to her and started making "coochie-coochie" sounds, which made the baby giggle and kick in delight. At that moment, Miyuki would have traded places with her friend in a millisecond. Sayuri met her future husband at a recovery meeting, not long after Miyuki got her promotion and moved away. They were friends for a while and then their friendship blossomed into a full-blown romance, despite the fact that Nori was ten years older than Sayuri and had more clean time than she did. Also, he had been married before, but never had children. The two of them decided to move in together and after a couple years got married. As the next several years passed, they tried repeatedly to have a child, but it wasn't easy for them. Upon finally resigning themselves to the idea that they would never conceive, they both gave up trying. At that point, Sayuri got pregnant. The pregnancy wasn't the easiest one to bear and, by the time the last trimester rolled around, she had been given strict orders by her doctor to stay off her feet. After Hana's delivery by Cesarean section, the doctor told Sayuri she shouldn't try to have any more children.

Quietly watching the mother and baby, Miyuki felt a quick pang of regret. She missed all these things that had happened in Sayuri's life. Too busy running her division, she never found the time to come home to see her best friend; not for the wedding, not for the baby's birth, not for anything. All because the obligations that had taken priority as one of the vice president of Capsule Corp., had made her lose sight of what was really important.

Nori returned to the kitchen after depositing all of Miyuki's things in the spare bedroom. "Would you like to see your room?" he asked Miyuki.

"Sure," she replied and followed him out of the kitchen as Sayuri attempted to clean up her daughters snack covered face. Nori took her up to the spare bedroom and then made his exit. Miyuki stretched out on the bed and took a deep breath. She was feeling rather unsettled, as her mind had been occupied for so many years with constant turmoil over how Capsule Corp. could be more successful. She rolled toward the side of the bed and picked up her purse to rummage through it, searching for her cell phone. When she found it, she dialed Miya's number—her mom's number.

"Hello," said the voice at the other end of the line.

"Hi, it's Miyuki. Just calling to let you know I am not staying at the hotel anymore. I am staying with Sayuri at her house."

"Oh, okay. Thank you for letting me know. Can I still reach you at the same number?"

"Yes, I still have my cell phone." The first thing Miyuki had done when she returned to her homeland was to reactivate her personal cell phone. She still had a company cell phone in her possession, but didn't want to use it. She had meant to surrender it to Trunks when she returned her other belongings. "Do you still want to have dinner later?"

"Of course I do. I wouldn't miss it for the world."

"Good. I'll meet you at the restaurant at 7:00 then?"

"I will be there." Miya presumed that Miyuki was still very uncomfortable around her and didn't want to push her into anything too soon. There was so much she wanted to know about her only daughter.

They hung up the phone and Miyuki again lay back on the bed. _I wonder what he is doing right now,_ she thought.

* * *

Ms. Cho and Trunks were poring over the files with a fine-tooth comb when the former president of Capsule Corporation burst into his office. "Tell me everything. How did she look? Why did she quit? Does she want her old job back?"

"Mom, please!" interrupted Trunks. "We have real work to do here! I need to find an immediate replacement for the North American vice president's position fast! Remind me again why you gave Mitsu the president's job over Miyuki?"

"Well, he seemed like the right choice at the time. He had all his credentials in line and appeared to be pretty motivated when he was vice-president," replied Bulma to her son.

"Do you have any idea how many ideas he stole from Miyuki and claimed were his own?"

"No, I don't because I am not the president of this company anymore," replied Bulma in a stern tone, before pointing her finger in his face. "_You_ are. And as the acting president, a big part of your job is to be aware of what your subordinates are up to."

Trunks slumped back in his chair and folded his arms as if he had just been scolded. He glared at his mother, who returned his look with crossed arms and a raised blue eyebrow. He felt like sticking out his tongue at her, but figured it would not have been appropriate, especially in front of his secretary.

"Excuse me?" said Ms. Cho. "If you two don't mind, I am just going to go over to the conference room to see how many people have arrived for the meeting with you, Mr. Briefs."

Trunks tipped his head towards her as if acknowledging her statement, but did not take the pouting look off his face. He hated being here, in this position! This was the last place he wanted to be at the moment, in this office, dealing with his mother and a bunch of pissed-off executives.

Bulma sat down in the chair opposite her son and gave him an apologetic smile. "Honey, I am sorry if I embarrassed you. Is there something you want to tell me?"

He looked at her and his features softened. Miyuki—she was here in Satan City. He had been so close to her just that afternoon, and he had kissed her. How he had craved the feel of her lips and the touch of her skin. He uncrossed his arms and tilted his chair towards his desk far enough so that he could rest his chin in his hand. "I still can't believe that she came to my office this afternoon and gave me her resignation," he said softly.

Bulma leaned forward from the opposite side of the desk and placed her head in her hands. "And did anything _else_ happen?" Curiosity had gotten the best of Bulma as she asked the question. She knew her son had never gotten over his love for her favorite employee. The first year when Trunks took over, Bulma kept her hand in the running of the company, but slowly she weaned her son from her influence and decided to just let him figure it out on his own, as the senior Dr. Briefs had done with her. Bulma also knew that Miyuki was very capable of "_telling it like it is" to_ her son, president or not

"You mean, like between us?" asked Trunks, knowing full well what his mother was talking about. "I don't have time to talk about this mom! I have a crisis on my hands!"

"Oh, stop. Your behaving like the world is coming to an end. I would think after all you have been through that a little thing like an executive giving her resignation wouldn't faze you in the least."

Trunks could handle fighting evil enemies, but this—this was much worse. "Who am I going to get to replace both Mitsu and Miyuki?"

"Mitsu? Why do you need to replace Mitsu?"

"Because he is worthless. I need someone in there like Miyuki, but she doesn't want the job anymore. What if the whole North American branch falls apart?"

"Well, I can assure you that it isn't going to fall apart tonight. Just march into that conference room, announce Miyuki's resignation, and let the initial panic run its course. Then, in a couple of days, you can concentrate on finding a suitable replacement. You can fire Mitsu another day."

Trunks made an annoyed face at his mother. "This isn't a little boo-boo that you can just kiss and make it better, Mom. This is a major corporation! The corporation founded by my grandfather!"

"Trunks, I ran this place for many years, I know how things are. Trust me on this. More than likely, you won't have to lift a finger to get rid of Mitsu. Without Miyuki's ideas to steal anymore, he will probably hang himself on his own."

All at once there was a tapping on the window behind them. Bulma looked over her son's shoulder to see Vegeta rapping on the window with a very pissed-off look on his face. Trunks followed his mother's gaze to see his father hovering outside the window. Since ignoring Vegeta was not an option, he arose from his chair and walked to the side window, opening it up for his father to enter. "Where is my meal, woman?" asked the hungry Prince of Saiyans.

"Vegeta!" snapped Bulma, in a not-so-nice manner. "I am a little busy here!"

"What could be more important then getting me my dinner?" stated Vegeta, as if the world would stop turning if he missed a meal.

"I'm kinda hungry too, Mom," added Trunks. Suddenly, his stomach growled loudly, reminding him that it had been denied lunch earlier that day.

"Good lord! Fine! I will go get the two of you something!" With that, an exasperated Bulma threw her hands up in the air, turned on her heel and exited the office, heading for the dining room.

Vegeta looked at his son, wondering what could possibly have been so important that he took his mate away from making his meal. "What is it, boy?"

"It's a long story," said Trunks, rubbing his weary eyes. After the kind of day he'd had, he really didn't want to talk about Miyuki or Capsule Corp., especially with Vegeta.

"Well, we have some time until your mother returns. Tell me."

"Miyuki quit and I saw her this afternoon and...I really miss her."

"The girl? The one that...hugged me?"

"That's the one."

"So, she has returned to you. Mark her as your own this time and don't let her get away from you."

Trunks shook his head. How easy in his father's mind it was to just take a woman as a mate and that was that. "I wish it was that easy."

"It _is_ that easy," Vegeta said firmly. "You love the girl, and you obviously never got over her. Just take her."

Trunks raised a lavender eyebrow at his father. "Dad, you don't just tell a woman that you are taking her as a mate and expect her to comply."

Vegeta snorted. "Who said anything about telling her? If she is the one you wish to mate with, then just mate with her. Why do Earthlings have to make everything so convoluted and complicated? It is very simple. You _are_ half-Saiyan, you know."

For a wild moment, Trunks thought this was a perfect idea. If he bonded with her, then she would have no choice but to spend the rest of her life with him! The notion quickly departed once sanity returned to his thinking. He did not want to trap her into anything that would later cause her to regret doing. "Is that what you did with Mom? You just... took her?"

The corner of Vegeta's mouth curled upward when he answered, "No, she was a very willing participant."

"Too much information, Dad!" groaned Trunks.

Vegeta continued rambling about being a Saiyan warrior for another ten minutes until Bulma returned with their meal. They ate in silence as Trunks prepared himself for the inevitable meeting he was facing with the board of directors.

When they were almost done with dinner, Ms. Cho returned to the office and told Trunks that everyone was in place and waiting for him. Trunks wiped his mouth with a napkin and stood up. Then he buttoned his suit jacket and adjusted his tie. "Let's get this over with."

"Do you want me to come with you?" asked Bulma.

"Yeah, but don't hold my hand or anything," said Trunks with a smile.

"You'll be fine. You are a warrior, remember?" said Bulma returning his smile with one of her own.

_I _am_ a warrior _he repeated to himself as he walked out of his office towards the conference room.

* * *

Author's note: Thanks to Hollyberry for being my steadfast beta. I don't know what I would do without her. I finally have some ideas on where this story is going, so please keep reading and reviewing!!!!!!


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

**Warning: This chapter contains lemons. Read at your own risk.**

_**Somewhere Only We Know**_

_**Song by Keane**_

_I came across a fallen tree_

_I felt the branches of it looking at me_

_Is this the place we used to love_

_Is this the place that I've been dreaming of_

_Oh simple thing where have you gone_

_I'm getting old and I need something to rely on_

_So tell me when you're gonna let me in_

_I'm getting tired and I need somewhere to begin_

Arriving at the restaurant, Sayuri and Miyuki found Miya sitting on a bench in the lobby. The older woman's face lit up as the two friends entered the room. She rose from her seat and moved toward them. Impulsively, Miya reached out and wrapped her arms around her only daughter, but Miyuki stood stiffly, not exactly sure about returning the hug. Sensing the discomfort in her posture, Miya quickly pulled away from her and smiled.

Miyuki cleared her throat. "Hello, Miya. I would like to introduce you to my friend Sayuri," she said, stepping a little to the side and motioning toward Sayuri, who held out her hand in greeting. Miya reached out and warmly grasped the offered hand with both of hers.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. Miyuki wasn't kidding when she said the two of you look alike. The resemblance you two share is truly uncanny," remarked a wide-eyed Sayuri.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, too," responded Miya with a smile and a nod. "Since I was the first to arrive, I put my name on the waiting list so that we might be seated more quickly." She turned, gazing again upon her beautiful daughter, and asked, "How was your day, Miyuki?"

Miyuki took a deep breath. "Hectic, but, in the end, I accomplished what I wanted to do. As of today, I no longer work for Capsule Corp. Thank goodness I switched to a new cell phone number. Once word of my resignation gets out to the press, you can bet that my old one will be ringing like crazy!"

A few minutes later, the maitre d' walked up to the group of ladies and escorted them to their table. Miyuki took a seat between her friend and her mother, leaving the seat across from her empty. Once they were all situated, she gave herself a mental hand smack for not returning her mother's hug. Although she was now aware of all of the regretful circumstances surrounding Miya's leaving her when she was little, this relationship was still all so new to her. This woman sitting here at the table with her, with her face, was _her_ mother—the woman who gave her life.

While the waiter took their drink orders, Miyuki only half-listened to the two ladies' conversation. Her thoughts were far away from where she was sitting. She could almost swear that she could feel him thinking about her and she couldn't help but wonder how things were going.

Trunks made the announcement of Miyuki's resignation without incident. Bulma stood behind him and didn't flinch when most of the executives gasped in surprise and horror. Somehow the press had gotten wind of the emergency meeting and had gathered on the steps of the building. Wisely, Bulma allowed just a few of her favorite reporters and photographers to attend the meeting to pass the news on to the public. On the inside, Trunks was a nervous wreck in front of the camera, he once he put on his best business face and his most persuasive smile, he had everyone in the room eating out of his hand. All the while he silently recited, "I am a warrior," over and over in his head.

To the puzzlement of those in attendance, Trunks closed the meeting without naming a replacement for Miyuki. He decided to take his mother's advice and let the smoke clear before making that decision. Waving off questions from board members and reporters, he briskly left the room after his announcement with Bulma and Ms. Cho close on his heels. When he arrived in his office, he collapsed in his chair and let his hands fall to his sides. Vegeta was perched on his desk and raised an eyebrow at his firstborn. "Well?" asked the Saiyan prince. "Were you a warrior?"

Trunks raised his head and grinned at his father. " Your damn right I was a warrior!"

An elated Bulma and an equally excited Ms. Cho gave each other a high five. Then Bulma made her way around the desk, leaned down and hugged her son tightly around the neck. "I'm so proud of you!" she whispered, and a tear fell down her cheek.

"Mom!" Trunks rolled his eyes, obviously embarrassed.

Bulma couldn't help it. No matter how big he was Trunks was still her little boy. Vegeta snorted and rolled his eyes at his mate's display of emotion. "We are going home now," he announced to his mate.

"But—"

"Right now," stated Vegeta with utmost certainty. Bulma looked at her mate and realized that arguing was useless. Vegeta walked toward the window and motioned for Bulma to follow him. He easily swept her up in his arms and the two of them exited into the night sky.

Trunks looked at his secretary. "Thank you for everything, Akemi. Please, go home to your family, and come in as late as you want tomorrow."

"I'll be here on time, Mr. Briefs…I mean Trunks." She smiled a farewell before exiting the office.

Now his office was finally empty and he was alone. Instead of being at peace, his thoughts were centered on Miyuki, who had occupied his mind since her arrival at his office that morning. He had to find her and finish what they had started earlier in her hotel room. He ached to have her. What he felt was unlike anything he had ever felt before for any other woman. It was such a need that he thought he might die if he didn't have her that very evening.

He got up from his chair and faced the opened window, which looked over the darkened corporate compound. Turning his head in the direction of Satan City Suites, he launched himself into the air and headed for Miyuki's hotel.

Upon arriving, he strode through the lobby toward the elevator, only to be hailed by the same clerk, Mari, who had given him Miyuki's room number earlier that day. "Mr. Briefs?" The last thing he wanted was another woman trying to get his attention, so Trunks pretended that he didn't hear her speaking to him. Despite his pretense, she appeared by his side before the elevator doors opened. "Mr. Briefs, if you are here to see Miss He, she checked out earlier today."

The angry look Trunks gave Mari made her step back, afraid of what he might do to her. He took a deep breath to compose himself and asked slowly, "Do you know where she went?"

"I-I'll try and find out for you, Mr. Briefs." Mari scurried over to the front desk and clicked on her keyboard to find forwarding information. Trunks followed and leaned his elbow against the desk to steady himself. Why would she check out and not tell him? After a few minutes, Mari frowned at the display, bit her lip and timidly looked up at Trunks. "I'm so sorry, Mr. Briefs, but she didn't leave a forwarding address."

Trunks growled and pounded his fist into the desk, leaving a large, chipped dent. Just as Mari jumped back from the abrupt sound, something came to her. "Mr. Briefs! I just remembered that Miss He called down for a cab right before she checked out. If you will give me another minute or two, I can check with the taxi company's dispatcher and see where she was dropped off." As he watched her make the pone call, Trunks forced his nerves to calm down. Mari held the receiver to her ear, listened and nodded a couple of time, before quickly writing down an address on one of the hotel stationary pads. After hanging up, she handed the folded piece of paper to Trunks with a smile. He held the paper and breathed a little easier. "Thank you, Mari," he said, and turned away from her.

This time, Mari didn't swoon. Judging from the look on his face, she figured that whoever this woman was, she was a very important part of his life. "She is so lucky," Mari sighed longingly as she watched him depart.

With the address in his hand, Trunks again took flight and easily found the house where Miyuki had been dropped off. He walked up to the front door of the modest single home and firmly knocked. The door was eventually opened by and older man, holding a baby in his arms and giving Trunks an amused look. Neither of them offered a greeting, so they stood looking at each other for several minutes, which only agitated Trunks all the more. If the other man hadn't been holding the child in his arms, Trunks may have killed the man on the spot. Instead, in his most intimidating "Vegeta" tone, Trunks demanded, "Is Miyuki here?"

Nori smirked, knowing what the lavender-haired man was thinking. "Nope," he responded cheerily.

Trunks could feel his hands tensing up into fists as he responded sarcastically, "Can you tell me where she is or when she will be back?"

"Well, I would really like to help you out," Nori said, giving Trunks an "aw shucks" expression, "but I was given explicit instructions by my wife, that under no circumstances was I to tell a certain lavender-haired man where she and her friend were going to be. Of course, if the name of the restaurant was written on a piece of paper on my table over there," he added, making a short motion with his head towards the foyer, "and you just happened to _see_ it, there wouldn't be anything I could do about that, now would there?" Nori grinned, pushing open the door wider for Trunks to come in.

Taken aback for a moment, Trunks raised a puzzled eyebrow at the man. The younger man then walked past him into the foyer of the house and headed toward the table. Sure enough there was a piece of paper with the name, address, and phone number of a restaurant clearly written on it. Trunks glanced down at the paper, and then back at the man with the baby who was cooing and slobbering as she sucked on her pacifier. "Tell me, who the hell are you and why is Miyuki staying here with you?"

"I am Nori, Sayuri's husband, and this is our daughter Hana. And you, I presume, are Trunks Briefs." Nori extended his hand for a friendly handshake. "I have seen your picture many times."

Relief spread over Trunks face when he put the pieces together. Trunks took Nori's hand and returned the handshake. "Thanks. I won't say a word about seeing the piece of paper."

"I'll be sleeping on the couch if you do," replied Nori with a chuckle.

"So, you are really going to open a photography studio?" asked Sayuri of her friend.

"Yes, I am. I probably won't make any money doing it, but I have all the money I will ever need. I just want to do something I enjoy for a while," replied Miyuki. Photography had always been a secret passion of hers, and now that was what she wanted to do.

As Miya listened in on her companions' conversation, she was struck by an idea. "Miyuki," she ventured, "I was downtown during my lunch hour today and I remember walking past a couple of buildings that had 'For Sale' signs in their windows. If studio space is what you have in mind, I think one of them might be what you are looking for."

"Can you show it to me tomorrow?"

"Well, I am scheduled to work until 3:00, but we can check it out when I get off, or I could give you the address and you could go look yourself."

"I can go with you, if you want company," offered Sayuri.

Miyuki smiled fondly at the two ladies sitting on either side of her. Both of them were so concerned with her well being; both doing their best to keep her busy and motivated. Truth was all she really wanted to do was sleep for about four days straight and then start seriously looking for a potential studio. "Sounds good,"

The three women were oblivious to their surroundings as they continued laughing and talking. Miyuki had managed to relax as the evening progressed, and found herself enjoying the company immensely. The ladies were almost done eating, when a noticeable hush fell over the dining room. Miyuki had her back to the main entrance of the dining room and did not see the man approaching their table.

Trunks strolled into the dining room and immediately caught sight of Miyuki's mother. There was no mistaking who she was. He was making his way to their table when Sayuri turned slightly and saw him. "Uh, oh," escaped her lips.

Miya caught the direction of Sayuri's gaze and watched as the Capsule Corp. CEO approached them. "Oh, dear," she said with a soft gasp. The smile on Miyuki's face quickly faded when she heard her mother's low exclamation.

Miyuki kept looking down at the table but did not turn around. She could feel his eyes upon her, coming ever closer. Trunks was completely oblivious to everything around him, except for the female he was seeking. Upon reaching the table he stood just close enough to invade Miyuki's personal space without actually touching her. "Ladies," he said, flashing a smile to her companions.

Sayuri had a sour look on her face, plotting what she was going to do to her husband once she got home. Miya smiled at the handsome young man and held her hand out to him. "You must Trunks," she said.

Trunks took her hand and kissed it. "And you must be Miyuki's mother. It is obvious where Miyuki gets her beauty."

Miya put her hand over her mouth and a giggle escaped. He certainly was charming, she thought, and very good-looking.

Trunks returned to the spot behind Miyuki and placed his warm hands on her shoulders. "You and I need to talk," he said softly, his lips to her ear. " I believe we have some unfinished business."

Miyuki continued to force herself not to look at him, but the second he whispered those words in her ear, she thought she might have an orgasm right there at the table. "I am not done with my dinner."

Trunks looked down at her empty plate. "There is nothing on your plate," he remarked.

"I haven't had dessert yet," she insisted as she faced Sayuri, pleading with her eyes for help.

"Why don't you join us for dessert?" offered Miya. Motioning to the chair beside her, she added, "We have an empty seat here."

Miyuki almost kicked her mother under the table, but decided against it. Trunks walked around the table and Miyuki could not avoid meeting his eyes anymore. His eyes were the deepest shade of blue that she could ever remember seeing. "Dessert does sound good," he said, flashing another white smile at her mother.

There was no possible way Miyuki could sit at this table with Miya _and_ Trunks. "On second thought," blurted Miyuki, "I am pretty full. If you would like to step outside, we could have that talk now."

Trunks smirked at her and she could have sworn his eyes became an even darker blue. "I'll make sure she gets home," he said to Sayuri and Miya, before winking at both of them. Miyuki stood, and Trunks walked over to her and escorted her outside the restaurant.

When they got outside, she turned on her heels and faced him. "Why can't you just leave me alone?" she said with desperation. "I just need some time to get my head together. I thought we could talk in a couple days, not this soon."

Trunks was breathing heavy. He had never wanted anyone this much. This had to be the Saiyan in him because it was as if he was operating beyond reason. Her scent was intoxicating him and having her was all he could think about. Before she could protest, he picked her up and took flight.

"What are you doing?" she screamed. "You can't just kidnap me!"

Yes, I can, he thought. And that is exactly what I am going to do.

Miyuki didn't need to see his lips move; she knew exactly what he was thinking. And, knowing how much stronger he was than she, kicking and screaming on her part would be fruitless. Rather than fight with him, she relaxed and enjoyed the scenery, figuring he was taking her back to his office or his apartment, but the landscape changed the longer they stayed in the air. A feeling of uneasiness overtook her when she came to the realization that they had traveled far beyond the city and were flying above the mountains surrounding Satan City.

Trunks landed in a valley between two of the largest mountains where he gently set her down on the dark ground. She watched him take a capsule out of his inside pocket, depress the plunger, and toss it a few feet away. The smoke disappeared, revealing a camping tent. He walked over to the makeshift structure, opened the flap, and motioned for her to enter. She froze for a second, looked around, then quickly turned and started to run. Before she got too far, Trunks materialized in front of her and she ran right into him. "You won't get far in those heels," he said mockingly, crossing his arms and smirking.

Miyuki turned toward the tent and then back to face Trunks. She removed one of her shoes and threw that at him. Chuckling, he easily caught the shoe and waited for her to throw the other one. In frustration, she took off her other shoe and slammed it to the ground, then folded her arms over her chest and shivered.

Trunks began to take off his jacket, but Miyuki took a step away from him. The uncertainty he saw in her eyes made him briefly snap out of his Saiyan trance. He suddenly realized his irrational behavior was only frightening her. He continued to take off his jacket and then held it out to her. She snatched it from his hand and draped it around her shoulders. Without a word, he picked up her other shoe, walked passed her, and entered the dwelling. When he got inside he flopped down on the floor and sat trying to collect his thoughts. Outside, Miyuki stood and stared at the tent's entrance, dumbfounded at his actions.

Back at the restaurant, Sayuri motioned for the waiter to come to their table. "We would like our check now, please," she said.

"Oh, Mr. Briefs already took care of your dinner bill. Would either of you ladies care to order dessert?" he asked.

Sayuri and Miya looked at each other wide-eyed, then back to the waiter. "Nothing for me," Sayuri replied. "Would you like anything?" Miya shook her head.

The waiter thanked them and began to remove their plates.

"Should we wait for her to return?" Miya whispered her question as the waiter continued to buss the table.

"No," replied Sayuri, "I don't think she will be back anytime soon."

Miya shrugged her shoulders, and they both got up from the table and exited the dining room.

Miyuki stood for a few minutes longer in her bare feet with the cold mountain wind blowing against her exposed skin, until she couldn't stand it any more. She slowly walked toward the tent and pulled back the flap to see Trunks sitting in the center of the floor. Overhead, there were two small lamps, which lit the interior with a soft glow. He had removed his tie, but had not removed anything else. She bit her bottom lip and entered the tent. She walked to the furthest corner from where he was sitting and kept her back to him.

Catching her scent as she walked by him, Trunks lifted his head and followed her movements with his eyes till she stopped. He picked himself up off the floor and moved towards her. Upon reaching her, he lightly put his hands on her shoulders and gently pulled her towards him. Taking one hand from her shoulder, he brushed her hair back from her neck, exposing one of her ears. He nuzzled her ear with his nose and tenderly ran his lips across her neck and down to her shoulder. With a small tug, his jacket slid off her shoulders and dropped to the floor. She didn't ask him to stop. His lips and gentle touch felt so good against her skin—skin that had not been touched by a man in a very long time. She closed her eyes and leaned into his touch, wanting more.

Trunks moved his hand to the back of her dress, and slowly unzipped, exposing her back to him. He eased the dress off her shoulders, and Miyuki complied by moving her arms out of the dress, letting it drop to the floor on top of his jacket. He then slid the straps of her bra off her shoulders and unhooked it from her back. He reached underneath her arms and moved his hands to caress her tender breasts. Soft moans escaped her lips as she leaned back against him. Miyuki's eyes were half-closed with desire as she turned around to face him, her hands traveling up his sleeves, tracing the muscular arms under the smooth fabric. As she entwined her fingers in his hair, she looked into his deep blue eyes, and saw raw passion filling his features. There was no way she could turn back now. She wanted him, as much as he wanted her.

There was nothing more to be said between them. All that mattered at that moment was satisfying their innermost cravings for each other that had been denied for seven long years. Miyuki grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled his face to hers, crushing her lips to his. His ran his hands down her back, wanting to feel every inch of her skin. With her hands still on his collar, she followed the fabric of his shirt down to the front closure. She pulled her lips away from his, undid the first button then kissed that part of his exposed chest. With each button she continued to undo, her lips moved down the muscles of his chest. Kneeling slightly, she reached the bottom of his shirt, unbuckled his belt and undid the top button of his slacks. She un-tucked the shirt from the loosened waistband and then stood up, easing his shirt off of his shoulders. She gazed upon the enormous muscular chest, much more muscular than it had been seven years before. He cupped her head in his hands, kissing her again as her hands continued unzipping his pants and inching them down his legs.

Trunks pulled away from her and held out his hand. Miyuki grasped it and he led her to the sleeping bag that lay on the floor. On her way to their bed, Miyuki used her free hand to shed her slip and Trunks stepped out of his shoes. He sat down and quickly removed his socks. Once he was finished doing that, Miyuki lay down next to him and continued to eagerly kiss his lips. Trunks returned her kisses, then moved his lips down her neck and until he reached her breast. He encircled her taut nipple with his mouth and traced it with his tongue causing Miyuki to moan with ecstasy.

After doing the same on the other breast, Trunks worked his way down to her belly button. He opened his eyes for a moment to gaze upon the tattoo, that was still there. He was disappointed that the navel ring was gone, but chalked it up to keeping up her corporate executive image. While kissing her navel, he eased her panties down her legs and tossed them off to the side. He rolled off her momentarily to remove his boxer shorts then rolled back on top of her. He lightly teased the hair around her most private area and then ran his fingers inside her thighs. He parted her legs so that he could run his fingers inside her heated thighs. Then with his most gentle touch, he teased the curly hair around her most private area for a few moments before his fingers parted the folds of her moistened labia. His tongue gently ran around her opening a few times and came to rest on her most sensitive area. With his fingers sliding inside her opening, he continued caressing her folds and her bud with his tongue.

Trembling from his attentions, Miyuki held onto his head, moving her hands through his hair. "Yes, yes," she gasped repeatedly as he brought her to the edge of ecstasy. All at once she shouted his name. Trunks felt the rhythmic movements of her climax, he plunged himself deep inside her, feeling her orgasm surrounding his hardness.

Trunks smiled in pleasure as he let Miyuki catch her breath. He wanted nothing more than to please her over and over again. He relaxed his body on top of hers and began his rhythmic movements inside her. Very quickly, Miyuki became aroused again, so he rolled over and they continued their lovemaking with her on top. They switched positions a couple more times before Trunks finally had his orgasm.

Sweaty, exhausted, and completely satisfied, the pair lay on their backs staring up at the tented ceiling. Miyuki rolled toward the man at her side and rested her head in the nook of his shoulder. "You've learned a few things," she said, with a silly grin on her face.

Trunks chuckled at her remark as he wrapped his strong arms around her and kissed the top of her head. Her hair smelled so good. Everything about her smelled so good. No matter how many women he had been with, it was only her that could bring out his most basic Saiyan lust. It felt good to be able to finally use his Saiyan senses to take it to the brink and push it fully over the edge.

After a few moments of silence, Miyuki sat up on her elbow and looked at the man with whom she had just had wild sex. "Why did you bring me here?" she asked. "You could have just taken me to your apartment."

"I don't know, why, really. I have no idea why I did any of this except that I thought I would die if I didn't have you tonight."

Miyuki smiled. "What happens now?"

"Marry me," said Trunks, not missing a beat.

"Marry you?" shouted Miyuki. "I don't even _like_ you!"

"Don't like me, huh? What about a few minutes ago when you were shouting my name?" said Trunks with a confident smirk.

Miyuki bit her bottom lip. "Oh, that? That was just a momentary lapse in judgment. I wasn't exactly thinking rationally at that point." She poked him in the side.

"Ow, don't poke me!" he mock-protested, grabbing her hand and bringing it tightly into his chest. Yawning, Miyuki rested her cheek against his chest, and being so relaxed, quickly drifted off to sleep. Trunks let her rest for a little while, but he wasn't finished with her. He was ready for round two.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5 

_**Somewhere Only We Know**_

_**Song by Keane**_

_And if you have a minute why don't we go_

_Talk about it somewhere only we know_

_This could be the end of everything_

_So why don't we go_

_Somewhere only we know_

The warmth of the sun against her face drew Miyuki slowly from slumber. She willed her eyes to open and looked around, attempting to recall why she was where she was. A smile crossed her face when the previous evening's events came back to her.

After round one was over, and a few minutes of rest and relaxing occurred, round two began. Once that was done, Miyuki remembered sleeping for an hour or two before awaking to Trunks stroking the skin of her back. "You're snoring," he softly whispered in her ear.

"I was not snoring! I don't snore!" she said as she rolled over to face him. She encircled her arms around his torso and gently ran her fingers up and down his spine.

"Well, I sure couldn't sleep with all that racket you've been making," he replied with a smirk. "What do you suppose I should do about it?"

"If it's bothering you that much, you could always go sleep outside," Miyuki whispered in his ear and then softly nuzzled his cheek.

Trunks pulled her closer and she could feel him getting hard again. "Not likely," he replied and started kissing the nape of her neck.

So began round three…

Miyuki sat up and looked around the tent. She smelled the scent of fresh coffee brewing, but Trunks was nowhere to be found. "He better not have left me here!" As soon as she shouted it, he appeared at the opening to the tent with his cell phone attached to his ear, barking orders to somebody at Capsule Corp. He waved at her and blew her a kiss and then turned away from her as he continued talking.

Miyuki made a disappointed face when she realized he had gotten dressed and that there would be no round four. With a devious smile, she slinked over to where he was standing, quickly lifted his shirt and pressed her bare breasts against his back. His voice faltered slightly in mid-sentence and Miyuki heard him say, "Can I call you right back?" Trunks flipped his phone closed and turned to face her. "I have to get to work. Somebody," he began, pointing a finger at her, "has caused a big upheaval at Capsule Corp. and now someone," he added, pointing to himself, "has to do major damage control."

Miyuki wasn't listening to him at all. She continued stroking the skin of his chest and then began softly kissing his chin and neck.

Trunks grabbed each of her forearms and nudged her backwards, holding her in front of him. "Wasn't it _you_ who said you wanted me to run the company the way it should be run?"

Miyuki stuck her lower lip out in a big-child like pout. "I don't remember saying that," she finally said smiling her most seductive smile. "How about a quickie, for the road?" and she winked at him.

"I could never have just a quickie with you. I am already an hour late," Trunks replied as he ran his finger across her extended bottom lip. "But, I'll make you a counter-offer." He retrieved something from his pants pocket and placed it into her opened palm. Here is the key to my place. Be there at 6:00 when I get home and then the two of us can have a 'longie'."

She took a deep breath, and walked back over to the spot where they had slept. Trunks picked up her underwear and handed them to her as she sat down on the sleeping bag. She snatched them from his hands and sat there, looking pleadingly at him. "Just a quickie, please? I have a lot of lost time and pent-up sexual frustration to make up for."

"Tonight, I promise." Trunks took a deep breath of his own and reluctantly walked away from her. He flipped open his phone again and put it up to his ear, then glanced her way, but she hadn't moved. As he connected to the person on the other end of the line, he made a rolling motion with his hands, hoping to get Miyuki moving. She responded by sticking out her tongue at him and pulling on her underwear. Instead of hurrying, she seductively strolled over to the coffee pot and poured herself a cup, then turned towards Trunks, sipping her coffee and licking her lips. Still taking her time, she leaned over to pick up her dress and the rest of her garments as Trunks continued talking on the phone. He was trying his best to ignore her as she got dressed, but couldn't keep his eyes off her. He felt like the luckiest guy on the planet to have spent the night with the only woman he ever loved.

After Trunks finished his call and hung up, he folded his arms and watched as she put on her shoes. "Took you long enough!" he said with a smirk.

"I don't move very fast in the morning."

"That much hasn't changed," said Trunks, grinning. He walked toward the opening of the tent and motioned for her to follow. She obliged and followed him out of the tent, coffee in hand. Once they left the confines of their little private love nest, Trunks capsulized the tent and tucked it away in his jacket pocket. He reached for Miyuki and pulled her to him, cupping her face in his hands. Gazing deeply into her eyes he said, "You will marry me."

Miyuki smiled. She hated to admit that, in all the time they were apart, there had never been a man who could fill the void left in her heart. Seven years ago, he was on the brink of adulthood, but now he was a man. She leaned in and kissed him, but did not answer one way or the other to his "proposal". Trunks motioned for her to jump on his back and they flew off to rejoin the hustle and bustle of everyday human existence.

After the world's fastest shower and change of clothes, Trunks decided to bypass Capsule Corp.'s main entrance in favor of flying directly to his office. Ms. Cho jumped when he appeared at his door from out of nowhere. "What's happening, Akemi?" he asked as he scooped up his laptop on the way to his desk, checking the display to see what meetings he had missed that morning and what his day held.

Ms. Cho jumped out of her chair and followed her employer into his office. "Well, the big news is on the front of the society page," she announced as she handed Trunks the paper.

Trunks took the paper and flipped it open to the society section. Right under the headline, which read "Cap Corp. Exec Quits Under Mysterious Circumstances", was a color picture of him and Miyuki standing and talking in front of the restaurant they had been at the night before. Trunks rolled his eyes and threw the paper down. "Don't they ever get tired of following me around?" he asked to Ms. Cho.

Not having and answer for him, Ms. Cho could only shrug her shoulders. "I just thought you should know what they are saying about the incident. You may want to make a statement to the press later today, to further clarify the reason for her departure and to kill the rumor mill."

"I'll think about it. Trunks took his seat behind his desk and looked at a stack of newly opened correspondence and emails. "What I really need to do first is to look over these resumes for Miyuki's vacant position." His secretary nodded and left him alone so that he could pour over the resumes without interruption. After only a few minutes of quiet, he suddenly heard a ruckus outside his office door.

Ms. Cho paged him on his office phone. "Mr. Briefs, there is a woman here to see you."

Trunks raised an eyebrow. The day before the woman had been Miyuki. "Who is it?" he asked.

But before his secretary could answer, the woman in question burst into his office. "What the hell is this all about?" screamed the woman as she stomped closer to Trunks' desk.

"Sachi, what a pleasant surprise." It was none other than Sachi Burondo, Trunks latest super model "girlfriend", as she liked to call herself. However, to Trunks, she had never been more than a temporary distraction from the one woman he truly wanted to be with.

"Who is this slut?" demanded Sachi as she held out the society page and shook it in Trunks face. "And where were you last night? You were supposed to call me."

In Sachi's mind, Trunks was always supposed to call her. "She isn't a slut. She is the vice-president of the North American branch of Capsule Corp. Well, she used to be the vice-president. She resigned yesterday and I am searching for her replacement. Sachi, I am really busy here. Can we talk about this another time?" Like never, he thought privately.

"No! I want to know what is going on between you and this woman!" demanded Sachi. Trunks could almost swear there was steam coming out of her ears as she was speaking, but he knew that was impossible. "Trunks, I thought you and I were a couple. I thought I meant something to you."

Trunks' eyes narrowed slightly at that remark. Most of the time they'd been together, Sachi treated him as nothing more than a token on her arm. He knew she really didn't care a thing about him as a person; she was only concerned with his status as CEO of his grandfather's company and co-heir to the Capsule Corp. fortune. Fighting the urge to just pick her up and toss her out on her pretty little rump, Trunks took a deep breath instead. "Sachi, I really don't have time to talk to you right now. I promise I will call you tonight."

"Well, you had better call me tonight if you ever want to be seen with me again!" With that, she turned on her designer heels in a huff, and stomped out of the office, slamming the door behind her.

Trunks shook his head and let out a small groan. "How do I get myself into these things?" He leaned back in his chair and looked up at the ceiling for a moment, picturing the face of the one he loved. "What are you doing right now, Miyuki?"

By the time Miyuki entered the house, Nori had already left for work and Sayuri was sitting in the living room reading a story to Hana. Miyuki had stubbornly refused to go in the woods, so, as soon as she cleared the front door, she made a beeline for the nearest bathroom. A loud relieved "Aaaaa!" sound was all Sayuri heard coming from behind the bathroom door. A few minutes later, a smiling Miyuki opened the bathroom door to find her friend, with baby riding on her hip, impatiently waiting for her to emerge.

"Spit it out! I want all the horny details!"

"Please! Not in front of the baby," replied Miyuki with an even bigger smile.

Sayuri gave her a mock-annoyed look. "All right, I'll let you stonewall me for now, but you'd better get yourself cleaned up so we can get going. I've arranged for my neighbor to watch Hana when we go downtown to look at the building. I want to hear absolutely everything!"

Miyuki turned and slowly sauntered towards the stairs. At the bottom of the staircase, she turned and shouted back to her friend, "I will tell you one thing. He has learned a lot."

"Get up there and get moving!" yelled Sayuri as she ran toward Miyuki, pretending to chase her up the stairs.

A giggling Miyuki ran up the steps and to her room. She plopped down on the bed and took a deep breath. After spending a few minutes daydreaming about her prior evening, she forced herself up and out of bed and started taking off her clothes. As soon as the water temperature was just the way she liked it, she stepped into the shower. His masculine scent was everywhere on her. She stood outside of the spray for a second or two and wondered if she could get away with just soaping up the really dirty parts of her body so as not to wash off all his scent. While contemplating this dilemma, an uneasy feeling came over her, like something was terribly wrong, but she couldn't put her finger on it. Then as if Trunks had been standing right there in the shower with her, she heard his voice clearly ask, "What are you doing right now, Miyuki?" Stunned by the feeling, she looked around half-expecting him to be standing there.

"Okay, that was just weird!" she said out loud. She pushed open the shower door to make sure he wasn't standing in the bathroom with her, but he was nowhere to be found.

Miyuki pulled closed the shower door and stood dumbfounded as the hot water fell all around her. When she finished showering, she quickly toweled herself off. With her towel wrapped around her, she walked back in her room and picked out a pair of jeans and a sweater. While putting her clothes on she kept trying to figure out how she had heard him speaking so clearly. She continued to obsess about it as she put on her makeup and dried her hair, until finally, she decided to call him.

"Trunks here," he said answering his cell phone.

"I just had the weirdest thing happen," said Miyuki, sitting back down on her bed. "I was in the shower and I felt this real uneasy feeling, like something really bad was about to happen, and then I heard your voice like you were right there in the room. It freaked me out!"

"What did I say?" replied Trunks, thinking he may have inadvertently communicated with her telepathically. Many of his Saiyan powers had grown stronger during the seven years they were apart, and that was one of them.

"Something like, 'what are you doing right now' I think."

"Hm, I do have the ability to communicate telepathically with other Saiyans, and with my mom. Maybe you heard my thoughts?"

"So, you can talk to me…without a phone?"

"I guess so. I could never do that with any other women. That must mean you are the one."

"The one _what_?" replied Miyuki narrowing her eyes.

"Admit it," she heard him smirk into the phone, "you're crazy about me and can't live without me. That's the real reason you came back here. It's all about me."

"Whatever!" Despite her protest, Miyuki could feel a flush grow in her cheeks.

At that moment, Sayuri burst into the room and stood with her hands on her hips, making and impatient face at Miyuki. "Aren't you ready _yet_?"

"I have to go. I am going to look at a building for my business. I'll see you tonight."

"You're not going to start your own Capsule business, are you?" questioned Trunks.

"You'll just have to wait and see," and she hung up on him before he could reply.

"Let's go!" said Sayuri as she grabbed her friend's arm and pulled her off the bed and down the stairs. "The realtor is meeting us in five minutes! I want to hear about your evening."

After dropping Hana off at the neighbor's house, the pair got in Sayuri's car and drove to downtown Satan City, all the while talking about men and sex. They arrived near the building, got out of the car, and capsulized it, rather than trying to search for a parking place.

They walked past the large "For Sale" sign taped on the inside of the large picture window of the two-story brick building. The realtor had already unlocked the door and was waiting for them inside. As the agent filled them in on the building's history and features, Miyuki walked around the bare first floor and tried to picture the possibilities the structure held. There was a set of stairs toward the back of the room and she walked upstairs. The second floor was much smaller and could probably be used as a living quarters, if she had nowhere else to go. Miyuki had a good feeling about the structure, and since it was her mother who found the place, she decided to give it a shot. "I'll take it," she told the realtor.

"You are just going to take it?" Sayuri looked at her friend and raised an eyebrow. "You aren't going to look at anything else?"

Miyuki shook her head. Sayuri shrugged her shoulders and kept quiet, figuring Miyuki knew what she was doing.

When they got back in the car, Miyuki called Miya to let her know the good news. Her mother sounded happy for her daughter's new acquisition, and also relieved that she got home safe. "Miyuki, I have something very important to discuss with you. I am getting off work at 3:00. Can I meet you somewhere?"

Miyuki thought for a minute about having enough time to meet Trunks at 6:00 if she met her mom at 3:00. It seemed like enough time, so she agreed to meet her. The two ladies spent the rest of the afternoon shopping and when the time came, Sayuri dropped Miyuki off at the Satan City Café to meet with her mother.

This time when her mother approached her with her arms extended, Miyuki hugged her back. She felt a little more at ease with her and didn't want to waste any time holding resentments. Miyuki wanted to get on with her life. "What is it you wanted to talk to me about?" she asked when they were comfortably seated.

"Well, I am not quite sure how to tell you this. It is about your father," said Miya as she looked down nervously at her hands.

"My father? What could you possibly know about him, or would think was important enough to tell me?" said Miyuki with disgust in her voice.

"Miyuki, I know your father was a horrible man, but he recently entered my life again. I found out that he was admitted as a hospice resident to the nursing home where I work. He is dying, Miyuki. He has lung cancer and he is living out his days alone. By some strange twist of fate, he ended has up where I work and I have to see him daily." Miya looked at her daughter, attempting to see how she was taking the news.

There was concern on Miyuki's face, which changed to confusion as Miya's words sunk in. "Why are you telling me this, Miya?"

"Because whenever I see him, he mentions you. Every single day he tells everyone how proud he is of his daughter and all that she accomplished in her life. Most of the time he either doesn't know who I am or hallucinates from all the meds he's taking, but he is always sure of you. He is filled with deep remorse for what he did to you."

"He deserves to die of lung cancer! A slow and painful death!" Miyuki said heatedly. "What do you expect me to do?"

"I just thought you should know, dear. If you would ever find it in your heart to visit him, I know he would be so grateful."

"You got to be kidding me! There is no way in hell I would visit him so he could find peace. Let him rot out his last days knowing I will hate him for as long as I live."

"I'm sorry. I won't bring it up again." An uncomfortable silence ensued as the two women tried to get their thoughts together.

Miyuki could feel tears welling up in her eyes, and struggled to hold them back. Finding one parent was difficult enough. She didn't want to find her father, or have anything to do with him, and certainly not comfort him in his last days.

Miya took her daughters hand in hers. "Tell me how you liked the building, dear."

Miyuki cleared her throat, grateful for the change of subject. "I liked it. I got a really good feeling about it, so I signed the lease right away. I can use the downstairs as a gallery for displaying photos and the upstairs would serve as my studio and darkroom. I only wish it had more of a yard so I could set up outdoor shots. It isn't easy to find buildings with a yard downtown, though. Afterward, while Sayuri and I were shopping, I got some great ideas about what I would need to bring it all together. I would like to have it all up and running in about two weeks."

"Two weeks! You certainly aren't wasting any time. Well, you can certainly count on my help. I have quite a bit of vacation time saved up, so perhaps I could take a week off to help," said Miya with a smile.

"I would like that," replied Miyuki.

Mother and daughter talked for quite a while, but refrained from any more discussion about Miyuki's father and his situation. Miya wanted to respect her daughter's wishes and decided to allow her enough time to think about it. When they finished, Miya dropped her daughter off at home.

It was 5:00 when she got back to Sayuri's house, which would give her enough time to change and get to Trunks' place, but now she wasn't sure that she wanted to anymore. Since she'd received the news about her father, her mind was in a jumble and she couldn't stop thinking about him. She picked up her cell phone and dialed Trunks' number.

"Trunks here."

"Hi, it's me. I am going to pass on tonight,"

"What's wrong?" replied Trunks, afraid she had read the paper and was angry with him.

"I just had a conversation with Miya and it upset me. I don't really want to talk about it."

"I want to see you. I will come over there and we can talk," said Trunks. "I want to know what is upsetting you."

Miyuki smiled, believing his concern was genuine. "I guess that would be okay."

"Good, I'll be over at 6:00."

"Can you do me a favor? I don't have a car. Could you possibly lend me one from your stash of capsules?"

"I might be able to arrange that."

Promptly at 6:00 the doorbell rang and Miyuki answered the door. She smiled at the sight of her lavender-haired lover and started to walk through the doorway towards him. "Wait a minute, I have to tell Sayuri where I am going." She ran back into the house for a few moments, returning with her jacket under one arm. Once she pulled the door shut behind her, she put the jacket on. "Walk with me," she said taking his hand and guiding him off the front porch and to the sidewalk.

After walking a few steps, Miyuki asked, "Your father, he did some bad things when he was younger?"

"Yeah, some really bad things," replied Trunks.

"He was a good father to you?" she asked as she looked up at him.

"As you know he wasn't around much when I was young," said Trunks. "And as I grew older, I thought him incapable of being anything other than critical or ashamed of me. Oddly, the day you left for North America was a pivotal moment when he and I really connected. He was good to me that day and very supportive. It took me quite a while to get over your leaving."

They walked for a while in silence then Miyuki spoke, "So, you were able to forgive him for not being there for you when you were younger?"

"I guess I did, although I never actually said the words out loud. My father happens to be a man of few words. Most of the time, he acts like an arrogant prick, but I know he loves me in the only way that he is capable of. Why are you asking me this stuff?"

"My mother works as a nurse at a nursing home downtown. She told me today that by some weird twist of fate, my father was recently admitted to the nursing home where she works. He is dying. She wants me to visit him," replied Miyuki softly. She looked down at her feet as she took her next steps. "Apparently, he talks about me a lot."

"Wow! You just met your mother, and now your father appears? That is pretty ironic. How do you feel about seeing him?"

"I have met a lot of people who have done things much worse than my father, and heard their stories of recovery and how remorseful they were of what they did. I don't believe in fate. I believe everything happens for a reason. I have hated him for so long, that my first reaction was to let him die a miserable and lonely death. But, the more I think about it, though, the more I realize that I would never be able to forgive myself if I didn't at least try to make peace with him. Does that make sense?"

Trunks stopped walking and turned Miyuki to face him. "It makes perfect sense to me." He put his hand below her chin and lifted her face to his. He kissed her on the forehead and then hugged her. "If there is anything I can do, let me know," he whispered in her ear.

"Thanks, but this is something I have to do myself," she whispered back to him, hugging him tighter.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6 

Miyuki and Trunks continued to walk around the neighborhood for a while. Trunks was getting very hungry and asked if she would be willing to continue their conversation over dinner. She agreed and he handed her the capsule car that he had picked out for her. They drove the car to purchase some fast food, which they took back to Trunks' place. Trunks started to eat, like any other hungry Saiyan might, but then stopped and looked up at the woman sitting next to him, "I just realized something about you."

Miyuki was about to put food in her mouth, but stopped and glanced at him. "What? Do I have something on my face?"

"No," said Trunks as he lifted an eyebrow. "I noticed that you're not smoking. In fact, I haven't seen you pick up a cigarette since you returned."

"I quit two years ago," she replied and finished placing the bite in her mouth.

"Good for you! Do you miss it?"

Miyuki swallowed and looked at him, "Every second, of every day."

Trunks chuckled at her answer. "So, tell me about this business venture of yours," said Trunks between bites.

"What do you want to know?" asked Miyuki, looking at him and winking.

"Well, first of all, what is it?"

"I am opening a photography studio. I have some art that I have drawn, too, but hope to hook up with some other artists in town to display some of their work. I was also hoping someone really well known would pose for some photographs to get my business going. You wouldn't know anyone like that would you?" She winked at him again.

"You don't want me to take my clothes off for _that,_ do you?" he asked.

"Only if you want to. If you did, I certainly wouldn't share _those_ photos with anyone."

"I would do anything you asked me to. I am completely under your spell."

Miyuki rolled her eyes. What exactly was happening between them? Since yesterday afternoon, they had spent quite a bit of time together and she actually was enjoying herself. She hadn't taken his marriage proposal seriously, but deep down she wished he had been serious when he asked. "There is something else I quit doing about two years ago that I didn't tell you about."

"Yeah?" asked Trunks, trying to figure out what she could possibly be talking about. "What would that be?"

"I stopped taking birth control pills." Miyuki looked down at her plate, not wanting to meet his gaze when he realized their night of passion had gone unprotected.

Trunks was taking a drink when she answered him. He choked a bit and cleared his throat before placing his glass on the table. "Oh?"

"My period just ended, so we should be safe—you know, last night?"

"Yes, I remember last night. I was hoping to have a repeat tonight," he said, winking at her.

"You're not mad?" asked Miyuki.

"No, should I be?"

"Because if you're looking for a repeat tonight, you are going to have to wear a condom," she stated, and took a drink of her water.

Trunks flared his nostrils and scrunched up his mouth as if the thought of wearing the condom was a fate worse than fighting evil enemies. "If we were safe last night, why wouldn't we be safe tonight?"

"Do I need to explain the female menstrual cycle to you?"

"Please don't!" Trunks protested, looking back down at his food, and suddenly losing his appetite.

"Do you mean to tell me that, after all this time," mocked Miyuki, "you still don't know anything about women?"

"I'll wear the condom, if you will stop talking about…female stuff."

Miyuki shook her head and rolled her eyes. "I can't go back on the pill 'till my next period, so until then, that's the way it's got to be."

At that moment, Trunks' cell phone began to chime. Trunks glanced at the number on the display, and immediately recognized it as Sachi's. He looked at Miyuki and back at the phone, deciding not to answer it. Once it stopped ringing, he turned it off, and threw it on the table.

"Was that your girlfriend?" joked Miyuki. Trunks was caught off guard by her remark. He was torn between not wanting to lie to her and not wanting to say whom the caller was. Knowing her recent state of mind, he chose not to say anything, inwardly hoping that Miyuki's curiosity would end there. But his silence gave Miyuki her answer and an uneasy feeling, similar to the one she experienced in the shower that afternoon, came over her. "It was your girlfriend, wasn't it?" she whispered, slowly setting down her fork.

"Not anymore," replied Trunks and placed his hand atop hers on the table. "You are my only 'girlfriend' right now."

"I'm not jealous—much," said Miyuki as she gritted her teeth.

"As of yesterday afternoon, there is no other woman in my life but the one with whom I am sitting at this table."

Miyuki eased her hand out from under his, and continued picking at her food in silence. She wanted to trust him, but then she remembered his well-publicized reputation as a womanizer. He had undeniably gained more experience as he had gotten older. He was a good businessman, when he wanted to be, but he was an even better manipulator.

Trunks could see that she was visibly irritated with him. He took his hand back and continued eating, until he couldn't stand the now-icy silence hanging between them anymore. "You're pissed, aren't you?"

"Why would I be pissed? What you do in your personal life is none of my business," she stated matter-of-factly. Her voice was cold but her features told a different story.

Trunks put his utensils down and pushed his plate away. He folded his arms across his chest and stared at Miyuki. "I don't believe you. Tell me what you are thinking."

Miyuki took a deep breath and scratched her forehead, trying to formulate what she was thinking in the kindest way possible, although what she had to say was far from kind. "I might be able to believe what you are saying, if I hadn't been privy to the corporate rumor mill surrounding your escapades with your secretaries. Not to mention, every time I picked up a newspaper or magazine, I also had to see photos of you, accompanied by a different knockout goddess on every single one. Do you really expect me to believe that you haven't said the same exact thing to every one of those women?"

Trunks rested his elbow on the table and put his head in his hands. He supposed he deserved that little jab, but it didn't make it any easier to hear her say it. "Miyuki, you may not believe this, but none of those women meant anything to me. I was only looking for a replacement for you. I never got over you."

"I, on the other hand," she continued loudly, "chose to spend my time working and putting my energies into Capsule Corp., in order to get over you. I tried to date other men, but never did I flaunt those relationships in public." She gulped, stopping for a minute to compose herself, then lifted her head to continue, "And never, for one second of the last seven years, did it ever occur to me that you had done anything but move on, to forget about us and what we had." Miyuki felt an overwhelming urge to run away as far as she could from the man sitting with her. He scared her and excited her all at the same time. She didn't want to admit to him that she had tried to date other men, but once she had experienced him, no one else could compare. She quickly stood, grabbed her coat and headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" shouted Trunks as she began to open the door.

"I have to go and think. Call your girlfriend back. She is waiting." Miyuki rushed through the door, stifling the release of her tears until she made it a safe distance from his apartment.

As Trunks stood and stared at his front door, he could feel his anger brewing. Papers and other objects began flying about the room as his furious ki rose. Unable to control his growing rage, he got his release by smashing the table in two pieces. As Trunks stood there looking at the damage he had inflicted on the defenseless piece of furniture, his father's words came to him from long ago, "Let her go." Recalling that piece of fatherly advice, he forcibly reined in the sudden urge to fly after her. Instead, he walked over to his couch and plopped down in the middle of the cushions with a frustrated sigh. She had a lot on her mind, and he knew he shouldn't pressure her into anything right now. He picked up the remote and turned on the television, hoping he could find something mindless to help him forget that he had just let the love of his life run from his apartment.

Miyuki ran and ran until she could run no more. She was mentally smacking herself for getting caught up in emotions and passion. "I know better than that!" she thought as she stood breathing heavily from the running. She pulled the capsule car from her coat pocket and depressed the plunger, revealing the car Trunks had loaned her. For now, she was going to keep the car. "Another stupid thing I forgot to do when I left Capsule Corp. was take my capsules with me." She opened the car door to sit forcefully in the driver's seat, then dropped her head on the steering wheel. "When exactly did I lose my mind?" she asked herself out loud. Miyuki put the car in gear and began speeding to Sayuri's house. She willed herself not to cry, but a few tears escaped her eyes and rolled down her cheeks. She aggressively rubbed them away. "Why does he always make me cry?!" she screamed and pounded the steering wheel with her fist. "I hate you Trunks Briefs!"

The same words filled Trunks head in Miyuki's unmistakable voice. He closed his eyes realizing how miserable being with him made her, and the last thing he wanted was for her to be unhappy. From that moment on, he made a resolution to change the manipulative bastard he had become, and to prove to her that she was the only thing that mattered.

* * *

"Morning, Mom!" chirped Bra as she bounced into the kitchen. "Morning, Daddy!" she said and kissed her dad on the forehead. Vegeta grunted in acknowledgement of the kiss, but did not look up from his paper.

"What do you want for breakfast, honey?" asked Bulma as she placed a huge plate of food in front of her mate.

"I'll have what he's having," replied Bra as she stole a couple morsels when her Daddy wasn't looking.

"I saw that!" warned Vegeta. "Try that again and I will eat your finger."

"Whatever, Dad." Bra wasn't the least bit moved by her father's threat. Vegeta shook his head wondering when the two most important women in his life had made him so soft.

Bulma placed an equally full plate of food in front of her daughter and sat down next to her. "So, what's in store for you today?" asked the blue-haired scientist.

Bra went into a long, chatty dissertation about all that was going on at school and between her friends, while Vegeta tried desperately to tune her out. With one hand he busily shoveled food into his mouth, while the other flipped over to the morning paper's Society Page. Normally, he didn't bother with such fluffy gossip but, in trying to tune out his daughter, he inadvertently began to scan the headlines. When his eyes landed on the biggest headline in the page, he nearly choked.

"What's wrong Vegeta?" asked his mate.

"Did you know our son was having a child?" asked the puzzled Prince of all Saiyans.

"What?!" Bulma shrieked and grabbed the paper from Vegeta before reading aloud, "Super-Model Sachi Burondo Pregnant; Claims Capsule Corp. Heir Is Baby's Father" Bulma stared at the glaring words on the newsprint for a few moments then sank back into her chair. The thought of becoming a grandmother almost made her faint. A puzzled anger quickly replaced that faint feeling when she realized her son hadn't said a word to her. "This can't be right. I know for a fact that Trunks doesn't even like this girl."

"You don't have to like a woman to conceive a child with them," remarked Vegeta, immediately regretting the words as son as they came out of his mouth.

"I am going to ignore that remark!" Bulma said, glaring at her husband and pointing a finger at him. "I have to get to the bottom of this!" With a determined look, she stood up. "I'm going to see him at the office."

Bra's blue eyes lit up with mischief. "Mom, can I go? I love to see Trunks get in trouble."

Bulma gave her daughter a sharp look and shook her head. "What you're going to 'get' is to school, missy, and I strongly suggest that you forget about all of this. I am sure it is a misunderstanding and nothing more." Bulma had just seen her son and knew that he was ecstatic about Miyuki's return into his life. She hoped in her heart that this was a mistake, because she desperately wanted her son to be happy.

* * *

Determined to turn things around, Trunks arrived at the office early that morning, long before even Ms. Cho had gotten there, and he had wasted no time diving into his workload.

"Mr. Briefs? There is a woman here to see you." Trunks looked at his intercom and shook his head. This would be the third day in a row that his secretary announced the arrival of a woman to his office. And, if his luck were running true to form, no doubt this one would also be making his life difficult.

"Who is it this time?" asked Trunks, a hint of dread in his voice.

"It's your mother," declared Bulma as she entered Trunks' office.

"Oh, Mom! I am so glad it is you. I have narrowed the potential candidates to replace Miyuki down to three people. Would you mind taking a look at these resumes? I need you to tell me if you recognize any of these people and if you think they have good credentials?"

Bulma didn't say anything, but just stood there in front of her son's desk with her arms crossed and the paper in one hand. She glared hotly at her son and tapped her right foot on the carpet.

Her son remembered seeing that particular expression more than once when he was younger. "What? What did I do now?" pleaded Trunks.

Still glowering, Bulma forcefully waved the Society Page in front of his face. "Would you care to explain this to me please?"

Trunks took the paper from her outstretched hand and stared, his eyes becoming wider with each word he read. Loose papers in the room started to fly around as his temper began to flare up. Bulma could see his lavender hair starting to ruffle upward and little sparks emerging from his clenched fingers. "Trunks, calm down! Did you know about this?"

Trunks threw the offending paper into the air before blasting it with a small ki blast, sending the charred remains across the room. Bulma grabbed a nearby magazine and started trying to fan out the fire that the still-burning paper had created. Since her efforts weren't doing much good, she ran for the fire extinguisher and used it to put out the rest of the flames. Upon hearing the blast, Ms. Cho ran into the office, shocked at what she found. "I think you'd better round up a few more of these so we can keep them within reach," said Bulma to the secretary, handing her the emptied fire extinguisher. Ms. Cho nodded and scurried out of the office on her mission.

As his hair returned to its normal state and fell back into place, Trunks sank down in his office chair. Groaning loudly, he slumped forward over his desk and put his face in his hands. "This can't be true, Mom. What if Miyuki reads this? She will never forgive me. I am already on her shit list!"

"In two days you made it to her shit list?"

"It's a long story," said Trunks. He relayed the events of the past two days to her, who stood patiently taking it all in. Trunks ended his story by stating adamantly that there was no possible way he could have gotten Sachi pregnant. "Mom, she is making this whole thing up; I swear she is. This is just her way of getting back at me for dumping her."

Bulma looked thoughtfully at her son, who appeared like the very picture of misery. "I believe you, Trunks," she said softly. All at once a plan began to form in her mind, one that would reveal if this woman were really as pregnant as she claimed to be. "You know, I think Vegeta and I should pay this lady a visit," she said with a sly smile. "Your father will know right away if she is pregnant or not, and in the meantime, he can scare the crap out of her just for kicks."

Trunks chuckled at her idea. If anyone could scare someone straight, Vegeta could. Then his face fell again. "What about Miyuki?" he whispered.

"It sounds like she needs some time. Just concentrate on Capsule Corp. right now. She will come around. She loves you, I know she does." Bulma walked around the desk and gave her son a hug. She touched his face gently brushing at the moisture on his cheeks but he pushed her hands away, embarrassed by his tears. Bulma then kissed the top of his head and walked back to the other side of the desk. "Now, where do you suppose those resumes ended up?" said Bulma as she looked at the papers strewn everywhere around the room

Trunks picked up his phone and buzzed Ms. Cho. "Akemi, would you get a florist on the phone for me? The best florist in the city, please."

* * *

Miyuki slowly awoke from slumber. She hadn't gotten much sleep the night before, but figured getting out of bed and occupying her mind with things other than Trunks Briefs was better than moping. As she arose from her bed, she went over in her head the list of appointments she had that day. Miyuki was going to meet with a lawyer, an accountant, and then an architect; all important people who would help her start her business. She smelled brewed coffee and managed to drag herself down the stairs to the breakfast table.

Sayuri was sitting at the table with coffee cup in hand and the Society Page spread out before her, while Hana sat in her high chair attempting to get the cereal into her mouth. The moment Sayuri heard Miyuki's footsteps coming down the stairs, she immediately gathered up the paper she was reading and stashed it under her chair. "Morning, sleepy head."

Miyuki shuffled over to the coffee maker and poured herself a warm cup. "Morning," she mumbled and walked, zombie-like, over to the table before plopping into a chair.

"You look like shit," observed Sayuri teasingly as her friend sat down.

"Thanks so much. I can always count on you for moral support," replied Miyuki.

"I just tell it like it is," said Sayuri. "What's on the agenda for today?"

"Well, I have several appointments lined up, and I thought I would maybe drop by where Miya works, just to check it out."

"And maybe see your father?" questioned Sayuri.

"Maybe, maybe not. I will see how my appointments go first." Miyuki stretched some of the kinks out of her back and let out a groan. "Hand me the Society Page, would you?"

Having already seen the sordid headline, Sayuri felt a pang of panic. After Miyuki had returned home visibly upset the night before, her friend did not want her to find out about Trunks latest scandal. Sayuri knew Miyuki loved Trunks and, in some strange way, she also knew that Trunks loved Miyuki, but things had gotten so complicated between them. This distasteful new wrinkle in the equation did not need to be divulged quite yet. "Um, we didn't get the Society Page for some reason. I guess there wasn't one."

Miyuki shrugged her shoulders, and then focused her attention on Hana. "How's my little angel this morning?" Hana held out her hand to Miyuki, offering a piece of her cereal. Miyuki made a show of taking the cereal in her mouth and making a funny noise, which made Hana giggle. Miyuki then picked up a piece of the cereal and put it in Hana's mouth. The baby tried to make the same noise, but it didn't come out quite the same. They both giggled anyway. Taking advantage of Miyuki's distraction, Sayuri stuffed the paper under the back of her shirt and casually walked out of the room. She came upon a wastebasket in the next room and placed the newspaper inside, carefully buying it under some other trash. She strolled back in the kitchen and the two were still playing their game.

"Well, Hana, I would love to sit here and eat cereal all day with you," said Miyuki as she ruffled the baby's hair, "But I got some important, grown-up stuff to do." Hana babbled a reply in her baby talk and Miyuki nodded her head in complete agreement, as if she understood every word.

"Let me know if you want me to go with you anywhere today," volunteered Sayuri as she watched her friend's progress up the stairs.

"Thanks, I'll let you know."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7 

After meeting with the lawyer and the accountant, Miyuki decided to take a trip to visit her mother at her place of employment. After she pulled into an open parking spot, she switched off the car and sat for a few minutes to compose herself. _I've spent so much of my life trying to find happiness, yet it keeps eluding me, _she thought_. The few times I have felt true joy, has always seemed to end quickly. I don't have any problem taking responsibility for my own actions; that is why I am back in Satan City. I really don't want to see my father. I hate him. I hate what he did to Miya and me. But if I don't at least confront the demons of my past, I will never be able to move forward._

Miyuki knew that facing her father was inevitable, so she opened the door and slowly got out of the car. Slamming the door behind her, she slowly walked to the front entrance of the nursing home. Upon entering the building, she walked up to the reception desk and asked if Miya was available. The receptionist paged her mother over the PA system and, after a few minutes' pacing in the waiting area, Miya appeared in the entrance of the main corridor. "Hello, dear. How are you?" asked her mother.

"I'm okay, I guess. Are you busy today?"

"I have a few minutes. Did you come to visit me?" asked Miya, not wanting to mention their conversation from the previous day.

Miyuki looked down at her feet and watched as her right foot swished back and forth on the waiting area carpet. "Well, yeah, I came to see you, I guess," she finally said.

Miya saw the uneasiness in her daughter's movements. She took her hand and placed it under Miyuki's chin, lifting her head to look into her eyes. "We can go sit in the break room and talk. Have you had lunch?"

Miyuki had been so wrapped up in her own thoughts that she forgot to eat. She nodded and smiled at her mother, then took her hand. Miya led her through an adjacent hallway and past the patients' rooms in order to get to the break room. Miyuki glanced at the patient names as they passed the doorways, until she came upon one that was familiar. She stopped and tugged a little at her mother's hand. "Is he in there?"

Miya smiled. "Either that or outside smoking. Would you like me to check?" asked Miya with a concerned, mother-type tone.

Miyuki nodded and leaned against the wall as Miya went into the room. While she waited, she heard muffled conversation coming from the room. Then she heard her father's voice. It was the unmistakable voice of Jo He. The man who had made her childhood a living hell; the man who denounced her when she went to college and tried to make something out of her life; the man against whom she had spent the last twenty years holding a grudge for ruining her life, was inside this room living out his last days miserable and alone.

Miya walked out of the room and back to her daughter's side. "He wants me to take him outside for a smoke. Would you like to come?"

Miyuki again nodded mutely in agreement. Miya went to the end of the hall and retrieved an unused wheelchair, which she pushed into the room. A few minutes later, she emerged with the room's occupant in the wheelchair. The person Miyuki saw was a very old man. His sparse hair on his balding head was a dingy white color and his skin was a sickly shade between yellow and green. He had lived a short, but hard life and every bit of it showed in the wrinkled, leathery flesh. He looked up at Miyuki as they passed by, but did not acknowledge that he recognized her. Instead he continued to babble on about how it was fifteen minutes past twelve, and he always took his smoke break at twelve. Miya turned her head slightly and looked back at her daughter who seemed paralyzed next to the wall. Miya silently motioned with one hand and, and as if she was a robot, Miyuki obliged her mother and stiffly followed them out to the smoking area.

"It's about time you came and got me! Everyone knows I take my smoke break at twelve and at four. Someone better be ready to take me at four or heads will roll! I will get the president on the phone and he will shut this place down. They torture people here you know?" He continued with his complaining rant to Miya while attempting to light his cigarette. Finally, Miya reached out and steadied the lighter for him, because his hands were shaking so violently, then she turned her ex-husband's wheelchair so that he would be facing the sun before she sat down on a nearby bench. Miyuki timidly came up behind them and just looked at the two of them. Seeing her parents together for the first time since she was six years old gave her an odd sensation of her life coming full circle.

After a few shaky drags of his cigarette, Jo looked at the girl who was standing there staring at him. "What's wrong with her?" he asked Miya.

"She doesn't like cigarette smoke. Now hurry up and finish smoking that nasty thing. It is because of those things that you are in this place," scolded Miya, shaking a finger at him.

"Hell, I am gonna die whether I smoke this thing or not, so shut up about it," he snarled back at her, which only made Miya roll her eyes.

She thoughtfully looked at her daughter and winked. Miyuki came around the bench and sat down next to her mother. Jo was still eyeing her, with a suspicious expression, as if he knew something about her, but couldn't put a finger on it. "Is this your daughter?" he finally asked between puffs of his cigarette. "She looks just like you?"

"Yes, she is," said Miya. "Jo, don't you have a daughter, too?"

"Why yes I do, now that you mention it. She is a big executive at that there Capsule Corp. I even think she has something going on with that hot-shot president, at least that is what the paper says."

Miyuki said nothing, but continued to study the man in the wheelchair. Part of her still wanted to scream and curse at him, to tell him who she was and how much his selfish actions had hurt her, but this man was so pitiful. He didn't even realize that if she was Miya's daughter, she was also _his _daughter.

"I have it on good authority," continued Jo in a loud voice, "that one day my rich and powerful daughter will come here and take me out of this torture chamber and whisk me away to her big mansion where servants can wait on me. And then I'll be able to smoke as damn much as I want without being hassled about it!"

"Whatever you say, Jo," said Miya. She looked over at Miyuki, who had a puzzled look on her face. "Sometimes he knows I am his ex-wife," explained Miya in a low voice, "but most of the time he doesn't. I don't think he has the slightest clue of who you are."

"What are you whispering about?" demanded Jo. "Are you planning some new form of torture for me? Take me back inside! I don't trust either one of you!"

Miya smirked at her ex-husband. She got up and started pushing him towards the door. Miyuki stayed on the bench, tears welling up in her eyes. "Isn't your daughter coming with us?" asked Jo.

"No, she is going to stay outside to enjoy the sunshine a little longer."

"Just as well. Probably wants to steal my cigarettes," muttered Jo under his breath.

As Miyuki sat on the bench, emotions and feelings and regrets and pain—things she had pushed out of her life when she left Satan City—suddenly converged upon her that very moment. Completely bewildered by the events that she had just witnessed, she felt a hot tear escape and roll down her cheek, followed by several others. In seven years, she hadn't cried as much as she had cried in the last two days. _I had no inkling that my coming back here would cause me to become such a blithering idiot. I liked my nice orderly life as an executive. Sure, it was a madhouse most of the time, but I learned to work around all of the craziness that I had to face on a daily basis. Even that craziness became comfortable for me. But this was all so uncomfortable. _

Miyuki remained sitting for a long time in silence and continued to think about the events of the last few days. Two older ladies came out to the smoking area and sat down on the bench across from her. Seeing her tears, they smiled comfortingly at her and offered her a cigarette. Wiping away the wetness on her cheeks, she pulled a cigarette from the opened pack and, after borrowing the ladies' lighter, lit up for the first time in two years. It tasted really good. She leaned back on the bench and continued smoking while the two older women chatted about things in which she had no interest. One of the ladies had a copy of the daily paper, and started talking about the headline on the Society Page. "That young man needs to learn to keep his pecker in his pants," said one of the women.

"Who are you talking about, Furui?"

"That Briefs boy that took over Capsule Corp. Why I remember when his grandfather, Dr. Briefs, started that business. You never saw stories like this about _him_, did you?" said Furui, pointing an arthritic finger at her friend.

"I remember. Even Dr. Briefs' daughter's escapades didn't even make it to the Society Page half as much as this boy's have done."

Miyuki was trying not to eavesdrop on the conversation the older ladies were having, but she couldn't help herself, because it was obvious to whom they were referring. She took a drag on her cigarette, slowly blew out the smoke, and sat up to better hear the conversation. "Mind if I see that?" she asked, pointing to the Society Page.

"Why sure dear," said Furui and handed her the paper.

Miyuki took the page from her and straightened it between her palms. She read the headline with a frozen expression. Then, without warning, she started laughing uncontrollably. The two ladies sat, dumbfounded, by her behavior. She continued to shake and laugh so hard that her lit cigarette fell out of her hand and onto the pavement. When her laughter finally subsided, Miyuki folded the paper over before handing it back to its puzzled owner. "You're so right. He _should_ learn to keep it in his pants!"

Stretching the kinks out of her back, Miyuki rose from the bench and slowly walked through the nursing home. _'This pretty much seals it,'_ she thought as she walked towards her car. He would have to leave her alone, now—now that he was going to be a father. She looked at her watch, realizing she had just enough time to make it to her studio to meet with the architect, and turned over the engine in her car, gunning it as she left the parking lot. _I don't have to worry about my relationship with him anymore, because it has now been put to rest. There will be no relationship between us as long as another woman is having his child._'

Miyuki made it back to her studio right before the architect arrived. She went over all the specifications she had on how she wanted to use the space, and the architect offered some suggestions of her own. Miyuki was grateful that she had found a professional who knew what she was doing and could make her ideas come to life. The two of them spent more than an hour pouring over everything. At the end of their meeting, the architect shook her hand and promised her a rough drawing by the next day.

Since it was getting late, Miyuki chose to return to Sayuri's house and get something to eat, before heading out to a recovery meeting. She needed the comfort of a meeting to help bring her back to the present and to talk to other people about all the mixed-up feelings that were surfacing.

Thinking only of getting some food and of her upcoming meeting, she walked into the kitchen. In the middle of the table was a big, beautiful vase filled with exotic flowers. It was the most beautiful arrangement Miyuki had ever seen. "Did Nori send you flowers today? How sweet."

"No," replied Sayuri with a small grin. "I had to put those on the table because there was no place else to put them in your room."

Miyuki raised an eyebrow at her friend, but Sayuri just smiled and pointed upward, toward her room. Miyuki turned and quickly ran up the stairs to see what her friend was talking about. When she opened her bedroom door, the overwhelming aroma of fresh flowers greeted her. Every possible space in the small room was filled with flowers. Some exotic, some roses, some were planted, but most were arranged in vases. She felt as if she had accidentally stumbled into a famous celebrity's dressing room. "What the hell?" She walked over to the closest arrangement, and opened the card. It read, _"From Trunks, with all my love."_

"I had to keep the door shut because certain little fingers couldn't resist the temptation of grabbing at the petals and tipping over the vases." Sayuri was standing at the doorway with Hana squirming on her hip and squealing with delight at the sight of all the flowers.

Miyuki slowly sat down on the edge of her bed and stared all around her now-cramped room. All of a sudden, she fell backward onto the bed, making it shake with uncontrollable convulsions as the laughter again overtook her. Tears that began to stream down her face with laughter soon turned to crying. A concerned Sayuri quickly walked over to the bed and sat down next to her friend. Miyuki held onto her friend's hand, continuing to sob as the tears she had been holding back for the last few days, fell freely. Hana wiggled out of her mother's grasp to pat Miyuki's hair, trying to comfort her with baby babble.

When there were no more tears to be shed, Miyuki sat up. After blowing her nose into a tissue or two, she declared, "I need a meeting!"

"Good idea. One starts in half an hour. Let's go."

* * *

Trunks was mentally exhausted. By the time he had reached the end of the day, he had hired Miyuki's replacement, signed hundreds of papers, met with the board, gotten a sales pitch from a supply company, and found out he was going to be a father. He was sitting at his desk, relieved by all he had accomplished, when he suddenly felt very sad. _Miyuki,_ he thought to himself. _She has found out—she knows about the baby_. Trunks wanted to fly to her side and tell her it was all a big mistake, but seeing him only confused her.

Just then, the cell phone hanging on his hip began to chime. Trunks took it out and looked at the number. "Shit!" he exclaimed when he recognized it as Sachi's. Grimacing, he flipped open the receiver and took a deep breath, "Trunks, here." he mumbled.

"It's me. I suppose you saw the paper today," said Sachi in her usual syrupy sweet tone.

"Yeah, I saw it."

"Well, don't you have anything to say now that you are going to be a father?"

Trunks could feel his anger building when he heard her say that. But didn't want to disturb the papers he and his mother had carefully re-stacked on his desk so he stood and started pacing the floor. "Sachi, I don't believe you are pregnant. We were never unprotected."

Annoyed that Trunks wasn't going to instantly bow down to her will and ask her to marry him, her sugary tone became a bit ruder. "Well, those things aren't one-hundred percent, you know. Something must have happened."

Remembering his mother's plan, Trunks calmed a bit and forced his voice to sound more conciliatory. "I'll tell you what, Sachi. Since, you haven't formally met my parents I suggest that we all go out to dinner tomorrow so that you can get to know them. What do you say?"

Sachi beamed at the thought of meeting the rich and influential Bulma Briefs. "Just let me know when and where, and I will be there with bells on."

"Later," he said before flipping his phone closed and rolling his eyes. Just as he was about to return the phone to his belt clip, he flipped it open again and hit one of the pre-programmed numbers. To make tomorrow's dinner even more interesting, he decided to dial up Goten and ask him to come, too. His old buddy had been going pretty hot and heavy with Marron lately, and Trunks didn't want his friend to miss out on all of the fun.

Deciding he had spent enough time in his office that day, he exited through the window. Ms. Cho had left an hour before him, so he didn't feel that the customary exit via the private elevator was necessary. While flying towards his apartment, he made a slight detour in order to pass over Sayuri's house, hoping to catch a glimpse of the woman he loved. As he approached the house, he saw a small figure pacing in the dark on the front lawn. From that height the figure was barely visible, but he did see a faint red spark appear from time to time in the figures hand, which meant the figure was smoking a cigarette. He quietly landed in the narrow side yard next to the house and watched as Miyuki paced back and forth, puffing frantically on her cigarette. The fact that she had started smoking again saddened him even more.

Miyuki had a lot to think about after attending her latest recovery meeting. The first thing she resolved to do is go to a meeting, or maybe even two every day until she could get past all these conflicting feelings. "Follow your path, and when you hit a brick wall, turn left," she was saying over and over as she paced. "Don't keep walking into the brick wall!" She was deep in thought and did not notice the figure standing between the houses.

"I thought you quit smoking," commented Trunks softly from behind the shadows.

Miyuki stopped suddenly and jumped when he spoke. She hadn't realized how intensely she had been wrapped up in her thoughts until the shock of his voice broke her concentration. "You nearly made me pee my pants! What are you doing here?"

"I just wanted to see you. I know you don't want to see me, but even if all I can do is look at you, that is enough." Trunks moved closer to her as he spoke.

Miyuki shook her head. "That is about the stupidest, sappiest thing I have ever heard."

Trunks chuckled. It did sound pretty stupid, but he meant every word. "You really hate me don't you?"

"Shouldn't you be with the mother of your child?" she asked sarcastically.

"Sachi is lying. There is no way she could be pregnant." Trunks was trying to plead his case with her, but he knew that this was something that he needed to prove to her before she would ever give him another chance.

"Accidents happen," replied Miyuki acidly. She took a long drag on her cigarette and deliberately blew the smoke right in his face.

Trunks coughed as little and then continued to stare at her. It was dark, but he could tell that she had been crying. "I will prove that she is lying. If I had known that you would ever come back into my life, I never would have done the things I have done. I intend to make this all up to you."

"I don't have time for this now, Trunks. I went to see my father today and it really shook me up. I don't need to be worrying about which of your conquests is having your baby. I have a business to start and parents that I want to get to know. There is just no room for you and your drama in my life. The best thing you could do for me is to just leave me alone."

"Okay, then," he said sadly, "I will leave you alone." He turned away from her and rose to the sky. In an instant he had disappeared.

Miyuki relaxed her shoulders and stubbed out her cigarette in the dirt. "I didn't really mean that," she whispered as she looked up to the sky. Why did she always end up pushing people away when she needed them the most? Even when she'd felt strong, both physically and emotionally, relationships were too difficult and now she had way too many with which to deal. And, in the last few days, they were becoming more than she had bargained for.


	8. Chapter 8

_Hello everyone, if anyone is still out there and still interested in seeing how this story ends up….Sorry for the delay in getting this chapter up. My life has gotten really busy, but with the help of Hollyberry….oh heck, she practically wrote this chapter although she won't admit it, we got this done. _

Chapter 8

The next day went unbearably slow for Trunks. Although Muyuki was constantly in his thoughts, he didn't try to contact her in any way. Oddly enough, the one thing he should've been dreading all day kept bringing a smirk to his face. With her customary attention to detail, his mother had taken charge of the upcoming dinner with Sachi. That little schemer was going to get a lesson or two about the fine art of payback.

Trunks was the first of their group to arrive at the restaurant. Bulma arranged it so that everyone would be in their places, including one of her favorite reporters, who would be discretely positioned at a nearby table with a recording device at the ready. All Trunks had to do was make a brief call to Sachi, telling her to meet them at six because he purposely wanted her to be the last to arrive. He followed the maitre d' to their table, then sat down and ordered a drink. Goten and Marron arrived a few minutes later, followed by Bulma, Vegeta, and Bra. Only the one chair between Trunks and Vegeta was left unoccupied, so that Sachi would be forced to sit between the two of them. Bulma craned her head around at the surrounding tables. She caught the reporter's eye at the next table. He winked, raising his drink slightly off the tablecloth and she acknowledged his gesture with a slight nod and a smile.

Once the first round of drinks and appetizers were served, Trunks leaned across the empty seat and asked his father in a low voice, "So, will you be able to know right away if she is pregnant or not?"

"Yes, and so can you. Do you see that woman sitting at the table over there?" said Vegeta, pointing to a table with a visibly pregnant woman seated there. "You can sense two ki signatures. Try it."

Trunks concentrated for a second or two before picking up a second, weaker ki signature nested inside the first one. "You're right! I can definitely feel it, but she is obviously pregnant."

Vegeta smirked and looked over at Marron. "Try it with her," he said, pointing towards Goten's girlfriend.

Trunks glanced at Goten with a raised eyebrow then concentrated again. There was no doubt about it. He had felt a similar, but much weaker, ki within Marron.

"What?" asked Goten, obliviously munching on a breadstick. He stopped eating long enough to follow Trunks' fixed gaze and stared at Marron with a wide-eyed expression. He also closed his eyes to concentrate and nearly dropped his food in surprise. "Holy crap! I'm gonna be a father!" he shouted, before jumping out of his seat and embracing her.

"I was going to surprise you later," whispered Marron, burying her flushed face into Goten's shoulder. "I just ran the home pregnancy test this morning and it came out positive."

"Wonderful," Vegeta snorted. "More idiot Son offspring for us to deal with."

"That's quite enough, Vegeta!" said Bulma sternly, glaring at her mate. She got up and circled around to the other side of the table to hug Marron and Goten. "Congratulations! Do your mother and father know?"

Marron shook her head. "I haven't quite built up the courage to tell them yet."

"Oh, no!" groaned Goten, as the ramifications of what had just transpired suddenly hit him. "My mom is going to kill me!"

While everyone was reveling in the happy news of Marron's big announcement, Sachi sashayed into the restaurant. Several reporters and paparazzi, all of whom had been "anonymously" contacted about her private dinner with the Briefs, had to be forced away from the entrance in order for her to enter. Although he was quite annoyed by all of the commotion she'd caused in front of the other diners, the maitre d' kept his politest face on and escorted her to the table where the Briefs family was stationed. As soon as he saw her coming, Trunks rose from his seat and flashed a quick look back at his parents. Vegeta crossed his arms and scowled deeper as Sachi neared, while Bulma gave her son a reassuring wink.

It was difficult for him to not immediately lash out at her, but Trunks kept his cool as he began introducing her to everyone. "Sachi, these are my parents…" he started to say, but she cut in.

"Well, of _course_ they are, Trunks!" she gushed and held her bejeweled hand out in greeting. Vegeta silently glared back at her, but Bulma reached out and gave her a weak, "finger-tip-only" shake, just to keep up appearances. She then waited until Sachi's attention was directed away by the other introductions before discretely scrubbing her hand with the napkin, as if removing an unpleasant residue. Once the obligatory greetings were done, Sachi settled herself into the vacant chair.

As instructed by Trunks, Marron and Goten began to play up their parts, acting like a couple of star-struck fans and peppering Sachi with questions about her glamorous lifestyle. Their distraction proved to be successful and kept the self-centered Sachi blabbering about her favorite subject—herself. In the meanwhile, Trunks and Vegeta focused their Saiyan senses to see if she was indeed pregnant. It didn't take them long to figure out what the truth was. They looked at each other and both shook their heads.

When the conversation lagged, Trunks leaned back in his seat and asked in a louder-than-normal tone, "So, Sachi, why are you lying about being pregnant?"

"Trunks, darling, do you have to bring this up now in front of everybody?" Sachi laughed nervously, trying to cover her shock at his abrupt question. It seemed as if every face in the restaurant was now staring directly at her.

Leaning in, Trunks glowered at her with his most sinister "Vegeta" face. "Yes, I do," he said in a low voice, "because _you_ had no reservations about telling the world that you are having my child, knowing full well it nothing but a lie. You aren't pregnant." Visibly shaken, Sachi pulled back and turned her head toward Vegeta, but his expression was even darker than his son's.

"I strongly suggest that you recant your tale, woman," Vegeta growled softly. Her mouth suddenly went dry.

"I didn't make it up!" she squeaked in feeble protest, looking desperately around the table, searching for anyone to sympathize with her. "I took one of those home pregnancy tests and it was positive. Really!"

Bulma took this opportunity to chime in. "Sachi, you have announced to the press, and therefore to the world, that my son, Trunks Briefs, the president of Capsule Corp., is the father of your unborn child. This is a very serious allegation and I, for one, will not accept the results of a home pregnancy test as absolute evidence that you are, in fact, pregnant." She paused and gave Sachi an icy, blue look before continuing. "I have arranged for a 'chain-of-custody' pregnancy blood test for you at Satan City Hospital. If you are indeed pregnant, they will also perform a paternity test to confirm that my son is the baby's father. However, if you aren't pregnant, I will expect a printed, full-page retraction of your story in the paper by the end of the week." The room went unnaturally quiet as she added, "Or else you can expect to find yourself standing in front of a judge, facing multiple charges of false accusation, defamation of character, and libel."

Cowed by the sheer force of Bulma's "no-nonsense" personality, Sachi looked around in growing panic at the faces surrounding her, but no one was buying her story, not even her two "fans", Goten and Marron. A tear fell down Sachi's cheek and she quickly got up from the table, running as fast as she could out of the restaurant.

"Do you think she'll follow through with that retraction, Mom?" asked Trunks, still somewhat worried.

"She'd better do it," snorted Bulma, leaning back in her seat and folding her arms, "if she knows what's good for her."

"You are one formidable woman," Vegeta smirked, gazing at his mate with unbridled pride in his dark eyes.

"Mom sure can kick butt when she has to," Bra giggled, her laughter immediately breaking the tension in the room. Everybody nodded their heads and grinned widely at each other.

As Sachi fled, she blindly bumped against two women who were just entering the lobby of the restaurant. She didn't stop to say she was sorry, but continued running till she was out the door. Some of the reporters still lingering outside the entrance caught of her bolting from the restaurant and decided to give chase, but lost their quarry when she dove into the backseat of nearby taxi and it sped off.

Puzzled, the two ladies briefly looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders. The younger woman walked up to the host's station and said, "Table for two for Miyuki He."

"Your table is ready, Miss He. Please, come right this way," said the maitre d', as he gestured for Miya and Miyuki to follow him.

As they were walking to their table, Miyuki heard some familiar voices, raised in laughter, coming from the other side of the room. She turned her head just in time to be spotted by one of the occupants of the table. Bulma immediately stood up, waving her hand in greeting and motioning for Miyuki to come and join them. Uncertain about approaching the Briefs, Miyuki bit her lip and asked the maitre d' to hold their table, just in case.

Miyuki looked over at her mother. "Do you mind, Miya?"

"No, dear. I would love to meet more of your friends!"

As they headed toward the table, Bulma could hardly contain her enthusiasm at seeing Miyuki again, and ran to meet her halfway. The two elatedly clung to each other, hugging and laughing. "Oh, this must be your mother. It is such a pleasure to meet you," smiled Bulma as she shook Miya's hand. "I must insist that the two of you join us for dinner."

"Is Trunks with you?" asked Miyuki, already knowing the answer. She could feel the weight of his eyes upon her as soon as she realized the rest of the family was present.

"Yes, he is, and I know he would enjoy your company. Please?" pleaded Bulma, giving the younger woman a beseeching look. Her amazing blue eyes, so like those of the man she loved, left Miyuki unable to resist the invitation, so she just smiled and nodded, much to Bulma's delight.

Bulma took a hold of Miyuki's hand and led her through the tables to other side of the room. Goten, Vegeta, and Trunks pushed back their seats and stood up in polite greeting to the three women. "You remember Goten?" asked Bulma, gesturing towards Trunks' friend.

"Hi, Miyuki! It's good to see you again! You look great!" exclaimed Goten. He had a slight "deer-in-the-headlights" expression on his face, still feeling a little shaken by the earlier news of his fatherhood. "This is my girlfriend, Marron," he said, looking affectionately at the blushing blonde next to him.

After the two ladies smiled and shook hands, Miyuki introduced her mother to everyone. While all of this was going on, Trunks kept a close eye on Miyuki. He was thrilled to see her, but her irresistible scent was starting to fill him with desire. Vegeta was also keeping an eye on her, but only because he thought that she would try to "hug" him again.

After she'd gotten a passing waiter to add another chair to the table, Bulma began directing everyone into their seating arrangements. "Let's see, now…Trunks, why you move down one seat? That way, Miya and Miyuki can sit together. Miyuki, you go right ahead and sit there next to Trunks. And Miya, you can sit here next to my husband, Vegeta."

Once everyone was settled, Miyuki fussed with her napkin and purposely avoided looking at Trunks. He, on the other hand, did not want to take his eyes off of her. _"You look dazzling," _Trunks said to the woman next to him, but only the two of them heard it.

Though he'd spoken to her telepathically before, a startled Miyuki picked up her head and gave him a wary look. "Please don't do that," she whispered. "I don't want you in my head."

"Sorry," Trunks apologized. "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

Bulma picked up her fork and tapped it a few times against her water glass until she got everyone's attention. "Tonight, we happen to be celebrating two pieces of good news," announced Bulma, smiling brightly. "We've just learned that our dear Son Goten is going to be a father…," she paused for dramatic effect before adding, "…and my son Trunks is _not_!"

Miyuki flashed Trunks a skeptical look. "So, that model isn't really pregnant?" she asked.

"No, she never was. Sachi only planted those lies in the paper because she wanted to get back at me for not returning her feelings. When my mother earlier confronted her and called her bluff, she caved in." Trunks shook his head. _"I am so sorry you had to go through that crap,"_ he said to her telepathically. _"Believe me, Myuki,_ _I fully intend to make it all up to you." _

The waiter came to the table and took their food and drink orders. After the entrees were served, Miyuki and Bulma spent the time in between bites catching up on each other's lives while Miya attempted to get to know Vegeta. Miyuki's mother was fascinated by the amount of food the men at the table were eating, and even more so with Bra's ability to come in a close second. The time passed quickly with everyone enjoying both the dinner and each other's company. When everyone was finishing up with their desserts and after-dinner beverages, Miyuki felt it was time to leave and began to stand up. Miya followed her daughter's cue and also stood up.

"_Miyuki, wait!" _At his telepathic plea, Miyuki stopped and turned to face Trunks.

"It's getting late and I have to take Miya home," she insisted, shaking her head slightly. Trunks then stood up and gave her his most appealing, puppy-dog face, which she was unable to resist. "Oh, all right," she laughed, rolling her eyes and sitting back down. Confused as to whether they were leaving or not, Miya slowly sat back down as well.

Picking up the half-emptied water glass in front of him in one hand and a spoon with the other, Trunks tapped several times against the crystal until the sound brought everyone's eyes towards him. "To all those who are gathered here tonight and to those who mean the most to me, I would like to take this opportunity to make a very important announcement." Intrigued by his words, everyone in the restaurant stopped what they were doing and looked at him. He reached down, took Miyuki's hand in both of his and gently pulled her to her feet. "I have only one thing to say," Trunks said, looking deeply into her eyes. "I love this beautiful, amazing person standing here before me with all my heart. And I want everyone to know that I intend to marry this woman, and no one else."

A warm flush rose to Miyuki's cheeks, but she didn't answer him right away.

"Aw, c'mon," Bra teased. "We all know the answer's 'yes'!" The room suddenly erupted in encouraging cheers and laughter, but instead of responding, Miyuki lowered her gaze.

"_I can't do this right now,"_ she begged in her mind to him. _"There's too much going on in my life. I…please give me a little more time, Trunks!" _

He took her in his arms and whispered in her ear, "You are worth waiting for, Miyuki, so take all the time that you need." Turning towards his family and friends, he said aloud, "You will all have to forgive me for being so impetuous. It seems that I've put Miyuki on the spot with my proposal and I think perhaps she needs some time to mull it over." Throughout the room, there were scattered sounds of disappointment, but Trunks waved them off good-naturedly.

The maitre d' approached their table to warn them that a few of the reporters and photographers were still hanging out in front of the main entrance. Just at the moment that Miyuki began to fret about getting her mother safely past the gauntlet of gossip-hungry paparazzi, she looked over at Bra. The teenager was holding a smallish capsule in her right hand and had a very devious look on her face. "Leave it to me," she said.

The scheme quickly made its whispered way around the table. Before long, even Bulma's reporter acquaintance was in on the plan.

About twenty minutes later, Bra and the reporter bolted out of the entrance doors, both peering around anxiously, as if searching for something or someone of importance.

"I just know that it just had to be her!" Bra squealed to him, clapping her hands in delight. "I recognized her right away, too!" The reporter stopped and pointed over at a long-haired, blonde female who had appeared a block away from the restaurant and was walking at a clip away from them. The mystery woman was wearing a flowery print dress and a large slouch hat, which hid her face from view. Bra walked around the reporter to get a better look and began to point, jumping up and down. "OMIGOD! It's can't believe it's her!" Her excited, fangirl shrieking got the attention of the loitering newshounds. "It's…JENNIFER!"

As soon as she heard Bra call out her name, the woman froze for a startled second then broke into a sprint. Like hounds smelling a fox's scent, the reporters and photographers dropped their half-smoked cigarettes on the ground, picked up their equipment, and ran after the blonde, all of them eager to scoop each other in what they believed to be a major star sighting. Bra and the reporter grinned and "high-fived" each other and watched with amusement as the pack of reporters and photographers jostled and shoved each other in pursuit of their surprisingly fast quarry.

It only took a few minutes for the coast to be clear. The reporter looked back towards the restaurant and gave an "all-clear" signal. Those who had been sitting at the Briefs' table calmly walked out of the lobby and towards their waiting vehicles.

"I'll have to hand it to you, piglet," Trunks said, smiling his appreciation at his little sister. "That ploy was absolutely brilliant! But, why 'Jennifer'?"

Bra smiled up at her big brother. "Because there are currently three or four 'Jennifer' celebrities that are currently hot and I figured that those guys wouldn't care which one she might be." Then she sighed. "Darn it! I can probably kiss that pair of shoes good-bye. And they were one of my favorites, too."

"Forget about it," said Bulma, hugging her youngest. "As soon as the stores open up tomorrow, I'm going to take you shopping for at least a dozen new pairs to replace them." She gave Bra a kiss on top her head and an extra hug. "I still can't believe how you and Marron convinced Goten into wearing your latest Halloween costume, makeup and all!"

"Well, at first, he was kind of reluctant," laughed Marron, "but then he agreed to do it when I promised him a special little reward later for his efforts."

As his family was getting into the limousine, Vegeta huffed to his mate, "I still can't believe it! What an absolutely disgraceful display! You'll never catch me wearing a dress like that!"

"That's too bad, Vegeta" observed Bulma, giving the Saiyan prince a quick peck on his cheek, "because you certainly have the legs for it!" She then ducked into the backseat before he could respond.

To make sure that Miyuki and her mother got to their car safely, Trunks escorted them through the parking lot to their vehicle. He first held open the passenger side for Miya then walked around to the other side to do the same for Miyuki. As she turned to get into her car, Trunks leaned in to whisper in her ear. "I meant what I said earlier. I love you, Miyuki. I will wait as long as it takes for you to say you will marry me." He gave her a brief, but tender kiss on the lips. Miyuki pulled away and stared into his eyes. _Why can't I just let him love me?_ she asked herself. _Why did relationships have to be so_ _complicated?_ She looked away and slowly got into her car. Trunks shut the door and stepped away from the car so that she could pull away.

"That was…different," commented Miyuki to her mother. "I only wanted a quiet dinner with you. I hope you didn't mind eating with the Briefs."

"I didn't mind at all. They were all quite fascinating. Although Trunks' father seemed very put off by the whole thing. He was a little scary."

"Yeah, that's what I thought the first time I met him," replied Miyuki. "But as a father, he turned out to be much better than the one I had."

Miya felt a sharp pang of regret for all that her daughter had gone through. For herself, she had lost all of those precious years with her daughter, never to be recovered. And she was also filled with anger, directed mostly at herself, for not standing up to the man that stole her daughter from her.

_Author's note: My next chapter will be up real soon! I have it done, just need to do some corrections. Thanks to everyone who has been patient enough to wait for this one._


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

_**Somewhere Only We Know**_

_**Song by Keane**_

_Oh simple thing where have you gone_

_I'm getting old and I need something to rely on_

_So tell me when you're gonna let me in_

_I'm getting tired and I need somewhere to begin_

Two weeks flew by for Miyuki, but things weren't turning out as well as she had hoped. Quickly, she saw her dreams of opening her photo studio in a month's time, crash down in flames. She thought that it all would be as simple as leasing a building and hanging up artwork, but she didn't realize that there was endless paperwork and permits to be filled out and hiring of construction crews, among other tedious tasks to do. In her spare moments, which were few and far between, she tried to occupy her thoughts with as much mindless busywork as possible, so that she didn't have to think about the marriage proposal she had received from Trunks Briefs.

On his end, Trunks didn't attempt to contact her after that night at the restaurant. Even thought it pained him greatly on the inside, he forced himself to stay away, to respect her wish for additional time. To distract himself, he became more deeply involved with the day-to-day operations of Capsule Corp. The company directors, most of whom had been perfectly happy with his limited involvement in the past, were not pleased with this new, aggressive role the young executive was taking as of late. To keep his mind off Miyuki, Trunks often worked well into the evening hours. As the days passed, Bulma became concerned about the workaholic schedule her son had taken on. He hardly spoke to her anymore and had missed several family dinners, as well. On a couple of occasions, after his grueling workday, Trunks found himself in the exact spot in the mountains that he had shared with Miyuki. Their one night together since her return was etched in his memory. The softness of her skin, she smell of her hair, the feel of her fingers running across his back—all sent a shiver up his spine as he stood in that familiar place.

Late one evening, Miyuki was sitting in her room and typing some notes on her laptop, when she received a call from her mother. "Hi, Mom. What's going on?"

"I am still here at work and I had to call you. It's…about Jo. He isn't doing very well. I don't think he has much longer. He is suffering from severe heart failure, and his kidneys are showing definite signs of failure in the last couple days. I just thought you should know."

Miyuki stopped typing and went silent. She hadn't gone to see Jo since visiting him two weeks before. Several times, she found herself pulling into the parking lot of the nursing home, only to chicken out and drive away as fast as she could. This might be her last chance to make peace with him. "So, do you think he wants to see me?"

"I think he would like that very much," replied Miya in a thoughtful tone. "But it is totally up to you, dear."

"I'll be right over."

Miyuki quickly set her laptop aside and walked out of her room, grabbing her jacket on the way. Once she got downstairs, she told Sayuri where she was going and gave Hana a kiss before leaving. She slowly walked to the street, and then with purposeful movements, retrieved the capsule car, pressed the plunger and threw it into the street. She stared at the car for a few moments before getting in. As if in slow motion, she got into the driver's seat and headed towards the nursing home.

Trunks was in his office looking over some contracts, when he felt an overwhelming sadness fill him. During the previous two weeks, he had sensed Miyuki's feelings several times, but none were as strong as the anxiety and distress that she was experiencing at that moment. His gut reaction was to immediately contact her, but then he remembered his promise to leave her alone and forced the feelings aside. With a sigh, he returned his attention to the task in front of him.

As she drove to the nursing home, Miyuki kept thinking back to the night she and Trunks had spent together. With everything that had been going on with her studio and her father, Miyuki had become more and more upset and anxious. On top of which she kept having bouts of nausea to the point of throwing up, especially in the morning. At first, she blamed it on all the stress she'd been experiencing, keeping up with her crazy schedule and not eating regularly. This was not a new way of life for her, though, because her life as a Capsule Corp. executive was very similar and never made her physically ill. She had always managed to keep her hormonal female side in check and not over react to her situation. Now, she was due to start her period and none of the usual signs were there, plus she was a bundle of constant emotional drama. Not wanting to think about the possibility of being pregnant, she put those thoughts out of her mind. The only thing that mattered to her right now was making peace with her estranged father, Jo He.

Miyuki pulled into a vacant slot in the visitors' section, close to the nursing home, entrance. Reluctantly, she turned off the car, opened the door and slid out of the driver's seat. After slamming the car door behind her, she passed between the automatic doors, through the lobby, and walked down the long hall to her father's room. With every step, she felt her legs start to become wobbly and her hands begin to shake. When she finally got to the door of his room, she stopped and leaned against the wall for support. All around there were muted sounds of people talking, call lights beeping, and voices from televisions still on at this late hour, but she heard none of it. It was as if she had stepped into a time warp. All of a sudden, she was no longer a grown woman, but a little six-year-old girl, deathly afraid to face her father; fearful that he was mad and was going to yell at her. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. _You are thirty years old, Miyuki, not six! _Shescolded herself. _He is powerless, lying there in a hospital bed. He can't hurt you anymore._

While Miyuki was standing there, inwardly debating with herself, Miya emerged from the room. Over the past few minutes, she had been going in and out of the room, looking for her daughter. When she saw Miyuki leaning against the wall in the hallway with her eyes closed, she went up to her and touched her gently on the arm. Miyuki's eyes opened to see her mother's tired, but thoughtful face. "I didn't tell him you were coming, in case you changed your mind. What would you like to do?"

Miyuki straightened her stance and asked, "How long have you been here? Did you work all day?"

"Yes, I finished my regular shift a while ago, but I decided to stay after to be with him. I know he was a terrible man, but the thought of him being alone in his last hours just overwhelmed me."

"Go take a break, Mom. I will sit with him for a while."

Miya looked at her daughter with a wide-eyed expression. It was the first time she had called her _Mom. _She reached out and hugged her daughter tightly.

Miyuki hugged her back, like she never had done before. As she held Miya, she realized that she had unconsciously refrained from fully embracing her as her mother. But Miya was _her_ mom and, at this moment, when Miyuki really needed her, it felt good to have a mom.

Sitting in his office, Trunks again felt what Miyuki was feeling. The strong emotions that he kept sensing made it impossible for him to concentrate on his work. Something very serious was happening in her life and he needed to go to where she was, to be near her, even if she wouldn't see him. Taking a deep breath, he exited his office through the window, and headed for Sayuri's house.

After a long hug and few shed tears, Miya pulled away from her daughter and wiped a tear from her daughter's eye. Miyuki did the same and they both smiled at each other. Miyuki braced herself and slowly made her way into the room, holding onto her mother's hand until the last possible moment.

The air in her father's room was stale and smelled of some type of antiseptic. She saw that the television was on and Jo's bed was positioned in such a way that he could easily sit up and watch it. To Miyuki, his appearance had noticeably worsened. A tube with IV drip was attached to his right arm and his oxygen tube was securely held in place under his nostrils thanks to two small pieces of surgical tape affixed to either cheek. Despite the steady supply of oxygen and painkillers, his breath was ragged and shallow. To her eyes, he appeared as if all the flesh under his skin had wasted away in the past two weeks since she had last seen him. Taking advantage of the room's dim lighting, Miyuki spoke up. "Daddy?" she inquired in an almost childlike voice.

Jo slowly turned his head on his pillow towards the sound of her voice. "Miyuki, could it really be you?" he whispered. His voice cracked and a tear fell down his sunken cheek. "Have you come to take me out of this horrible place?"

Miyuki took several steps closer to his bed, saying, "Yes, Daddy, it's me. I have come to take you to my big mansion, where my servants will wait on you hand and foot." She found a chair and pulled it up to the side of the bed. As she sat down, she gently took his left hand in hers. It felt cold and clammy to the touch, so she placed her other hand on top to give it a little extra warmth.

"I always knew you would come for me. I am so sorry I was such a horrible father to you. You have really done well for yourself. I heard you are engaged to that president fellow. Trunks Briefs, is that his name? If you marry him, you will own that company."

Not wanting to spoil his vision, Miyuki nodded. "Yes, we are going to get married. Are you comfortable, Daddy?" she asked.

"No, not really. I am sure I will be though when I get to your place."

"Are you hungry?" asked Miyuki as she noticed an untouched tray of food next to his bed.

"All they feed me here is crap. What's on that tray, anyway?"

Miyuki let go of his hand and walked around the bed to see what he had been served for dinner. The part under the cover that was still warm had a pureed neutral color to it and didn't look very appetizing. "Do you still like ice cream, Daddy?" asked Miyuki as she noticed a cup of vanilla ice cream on his tray.

"That sounds pretty good. I could eat that, I suppose."

Miyuki peeled off the top from the plastic container and grabbed a spoon. She walked back around the bed and sat in the chair. She was going to hand it to him, but realized he was far too weak to feed himself. She dipped the spoon into the frozen substance then brought it to her father's lips. He eagerly took the ice cream in his mouth and smiled with pleasure. "Do you like it?"

"Ice cream was always my favorite. Do you remember when we used to go get ice cream on Saturdays? I hope you remember, because I always thought we had a good time."

Miyuki hadn't thought about their "_ice cream Saturdays" _in years. She filled the spoon again and fed it to her father. She continued feeding him in silence until there was none left in the cup. Several times she attempted to say something, just to let him know that she wanted to make peace with him, but the words never came. Instead she wiped the corners of his mouth with a paper napkin. Jo squirmed a little in his bed, until he managed to find a comfortable position. Pulled by the chatter from the television, he turned his head towards the flickering screen. Miyuki set aside the empty ice cream cup and the spoon and took hold of his hand once more. She found her eyes drawn to the television as well. "You did always like to watch game shows, Dad."

Jo didn't answer, but nodded his head at her remark. About that time, the nurse came into the room to administer his scheduled dose of pain medication. Miyuki watched as the medicine went from the needle into the IV tube attached to his vein. She saw her father flinch a little, but soon his breathing became easier. They both continued to stare at the television. A few minutes later, Jo closed his eyes for the last time. His mouth hung open slightly, and the time between each breath became slower and more drawn out. Then, after releasing a single, soft sigh, his breath stopped. Miyuki watched as all the color slowly drained from his face. She gently undid the oxygen tube from off his face and put it aside. Miyuki had never been this close to death. She had always managed to conveniently have other commitments when asked to attend a funeral. "Daddy?" she softly whispered, her throat thickening with sorrow. "I am so sorry. I should have come to see you more. I wanted to get to know you again. But I am too late." The end of her sentence was barely audible between sobs.

Miya came into the room at that moment and watched her daughter hug her father for the last time crying uncontrollably. Miya stood back and cried, feeling her daughter's grief. She suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder from behind and turned to see a pair of concerned blue eyes. "Go to her, Trunks," said Miya, "she needs you."

He walked up behind Miyuki and placed his hand on her upper back, slowly rubbing his fingers in a circle. She continued to sob, but knew by his uniquely gentle touch that he was there. After a few minutes, Trunks put his hands on her shoulders and gently pulled her off her father's body. She turned around, dropping her head onto his chest and curling her arms against herself, wanting to be surrounded by his strong arms. He wrapped his arms around her and silently held her while she cried until there were no more tears left to be shed.

Miya came up to them with and held out a box of tissues. Trunks took a few, and picked Miyuki's head up in order to wipe away her tears. It felt so good to be held by him, to allow him to comfort her. When she could articulate again, she asked, "What are you doing here?"

Trunks smiled at her. "I am here because I want to be here." That made Miyuki break into more sobs, so he pulled her to him again and held her until she could get a hold of herself. "Let me take you home. I don't want you driving."

Miya assured her daughter that she would stay behind and take care of all the arrangements. Miyuki nodded her head and let Trunks lead her out of the nursing home. As Trunks drove her home, he steered with one arm and kept the other around her shoulders. Miyuki clung to him, needing him more than ever before. As long as Trunks was with her, she felt safe.

Upon reaching Sayuri's house, Miyuki went straight upstairs to her room while Trunks went into the kitchen to let Sayuri and Nori in on what had transpired. He then asked Sayuri for a glass of water, and proceeded to take it upstairs. He found Miyuki crouched over the toilet in the guest bathroom, emptying her stomach contents. Trunks kneeled behind her and rubbed her back until she was finished, then carried her to her bedroom. He gently laid her on the bed and then ventured back to the bathroom to retrieve a cold washcloth. He sat down next to her on the edge of the bed and placed the washcloth on her forehead. Miyuki looked up at him through glazed-over eyes. "Thanks for bringing me home."

"No problem." Trunks took her hand and gently stroked her fingers. Miyuki turned onto her side and moved over on the bed to open up the space next to her. He eased his way onto the bed and lay facing her. With his finger he traced the outline of her eyes and nose, and then her mouth, memorizing every curve.

They stayed in that position for a long while until Miyuki said, "I have something to tell you,"

"Is it good or bad news?" asked Trunks.

"I am not sure," said Miyuki as she sat up, removing the washcloth from her forehead. "You will have to decide." She bit her bottom lip.

Trunks sat up next to her. "What is it, Miyuki?" he asked, with a more serious tone. "You can tell me anything." Trunks looked down at his hands. "Even if it is that you have found someone else and you don't want to marry me."

She looked at him and furiously shook her head. "No, nothing like that!" She looked down at the washcloth and twisted it around her hand in a nervous motion. "I…I haven't been feeling well, and I have been throwing up a lot, and…my period is late." As she said the words, she moved her eyes even with his. "So…I think I may be pregnant."

* * *

Author's note: Is she or isn't she?

This chapter was a bit of therapy for me. Several of the situations with Miyuki's father, happened to me when my father passed last February. My father did do a lot of hallucinating in the end, and he did get pain medicine and I was with him when he took his last breath. My dad's last meal was vanilla ice cream. It was the only thing on his plate that he wanted. He went to sleep soon after I fed him and never woke up again. He passed away the next afternoon. My father was nothing like Miyuki's father. He was a kind and generous man and I miss him so much.


	10. Chapter 10

1**AN: No HFIL has not frozen over, this is an update. I know it has been a long time in coming, but I have had a lot of life changes. Now that summer is here, I am going to finish this fic. Thank you to everyone who has read it so far. **

**Chapter 10**

If it was at all possible for a half-Saiyan's jaw to drop to the floor at that precise moment, Trunks' would have done just that. Weeks ago, when Sachi had claimed to be pregnant with his baby, he was not at all pleased by the news. The near-possibility of a permanent attachment to that conniving, self-centered female was that last thing he wanted. But, once he heard Miyuki say that she might be, he felt a distinctly opposite reaction. "Really?" he asked anxiously. "Is it possible?"

Miyuki rolled her eyes in exasperation. "They do know what causes that nowadays, you know," she said, mocking him.

Trunks rolled his eyes back at her. "I know that!" he snapped back. "But, as I recall, _you_ told me that we were safe." Conflicting emotions regarding Miyuki's announcement were starting to make him edgy, so Trunks stood up and began pacing the floor. On the inside, he was elated to hear that she could possibly be carrying his child, but he was also scared that she may not want to keep the child; or worse, that she wouldn't want him back in her life to care for the child. All these scenarios and more flashed through his mind as he paced back and forth, trying to find the right words to say to her.

"Trunks, I'm not sure if I am. I haven't even taken one of those home pregnancy tests to be sure. I don't know what being pregnant is supposed to feel like."

He stopped his pacing and looked at her. "What if you are?" he asked, hoping to hear her say that she would marry him. "What then?"

Miyuki sighed as she raised her head and looked up into his eyes. She was also feeling confused and conflicted. Deep down, she knew that she loved him, but she also feared that their once-strong relationship had deteriorated to the point where it could never be salvaged. "I don't know. I haven't thought that far ahead."

Trunks felt relieved that she didn't have any sort of plan to write him out of her life just yet. Then he remembered the day in the restaurant when Vegeta showed him how to use his Saiyan powers to discern if a woman was pregnant. Trunks sat down next to Miyuki on the bed and placed his hand on her abdomen. He closed his eyes and concentrated. Although he tried as hard as he could, he could not pick up an additional ki signature, however small or weak, as he had with Marron. It just wasn't there. He felt nothing. He turned his head away slightly as his face hardened with disappointment.

"What is it?" asked Miyuki, curious as to what he was doing.

After a few moments of silence, Trunks took in a deep breath to gather himself. "You aren't pregnant," he stated softly, unable to hide the regret in his voice. "I'm sorry, Miyuki." As much as he'd wanted it to be true, he had to accept the fact that she wasn't carrying his child.

"What are you talking about?" Miyuki demanded, grabbing his arm and shoving it away from her. "How could you possibly know that?"

"I just know." Awash with defeat, he turned away from her, feeling helpless. Now, there really was nothing that held her to him. He thought for sure she was finished with him.

"Please, get out," she said to him softly. "I need to be alone. This has been a very difficult day for me."

But instead of leaving right away, Trunks turned around and placed his hand against her flushed cheek. Her skin felt very hot and damp under his palm. Wordlessly, he moved his hand upwards, carefully brushing her hair away from her face and then resting his hand on her shoulder. He had read the exhaustion on her face and knew that sleep was what she really needed. Too tired to put up a fight, Miyuki slid over to him and slipped her arms around his waist. She placed her head on his shoulder and he gently put his arms around her in return. Then he leaned back onto the pillow, pulling Miyuki down with him. Trunks held her for a while longer, listening to her breathing until he could tell that she had fallen asleep. He loosened his arms from around her limp form and gently arranged her on the bed. As he was easing her down, she stirred awake for a brief second, but fell right back to sleep as soon as her head touched the pillow. He stood back and took a good long look at her. _I have to make her my woman,_ he thought, filled with a new determination. Trunks watched Miyuki stir in her sleep as the unspoken declaration went through his mind. _She must have heard me___

Sometime during the night, Miyuki awoke, feeling sick again. As she rushed down the hallway to the bathroom, she tripped over a toy that had been left on the floor by Hana and went tumbling face-first to the floor. Fortunately, what noise she'd made by her fall wasn't enough to awaken the rest of the household. Lying face down on the floor, the feeling of nausea seemed to leave, but was abruptly replaced by a sharp pain in her abdomen. "Fuck!" she whispered forcefully, not wanting to wake anyone in the house. "I've got cramps." Miyuki pulled herself up off the floor and quickly scrambled the rest of the way into the bathroom. The evidence was clearly there; she had definitely started her period. "So, I'm really not pregnant," she whispered, then sighed, not knowing whether to be relieved or sad.

Finishing her business in the bathroom, Miyuki tiptoed back to her room, picking up the stray toy on the way and carrying it with her back to her room. In the dim light, she examined the object when she returned to her bed. It was a little toy dog, mounted on a set of wheels with a long string leash attached to its collar. She remembered watching Hana toddle about the house, pulling the toy behind her wherever she went and making cute little barking noises as she walked. A smile came across Miyuki's lips as she thought of how cute Hana was and how happy her best friend was. Sayuri had achieved the perfect life–the life Miyuki wanted.

Then her thoughts wandered back to her father, mentally picturing how sick and pathetic he looked in that hospital bed. She wondered what had made her want to see him one more time and comfort him in his last moments. She also recalled the overwhelming feeling of grief and loss that she felt when he passed and the comfort that Trunks had bestowed upon her. Miyuki put her head back on her pillow and concentrated on Trunks, wondering what he was doing and if he could sense that she was thinking about him. "Do you really love me, Trunks Briefs?" she asked out loud.

Trunks had spent the better part of that night shifting about in his bed, trying to get some rest. He was finally edging himself into a half-sleep when he clearly heard her voice asking if he loved her. He wasn't sure if he was dreaming her question but he responded without hesitation, "Yes, I love you, Miyuki."

It was hard for her to believe that, after all of their history, he did still love her. But, in that moment when she heard his answer, she believed him. Smiling, she slowly drifted back to sleep with Hana's toy clutched in her hands.

The next time Miyuki awoke, the sun was shining. She rolled over, looked at the clock on the night stand and realized she had been asleep for a very long time. Slowly, she sat up and took a deep breath. Miyuki could smell coffee brewing and heard noises coming from the lower floor. She got out of bed and put on her robe and slippers. She quietly meandered down the stairs, listening to the sounds of Hana and Sayuri playing. Miyuki lingered back in the hall and peered around the corner, not wanting to disturb their cheerful familial interaction. _Was this all Sayuri needed to be happy? _she asked herself as she watched them without their knowing._ No job, no fame, no money; just a house, a family and a beautiful baby. Have I been kidding myself all these years that this is really what I want? _Miyuki shook her head. _I have no idea what I want._

Miyuki finally emerged around the corner and the two playing on the floor applauded her entrance. "She lives!" shouted Sayuri.

Getting up from her seat on the floor, Hana clapped her hands as she scampered towards Miyuki. When she got up close, she threw her little arms around Miyuki's legs and hugged them tightly. Then she looked up and her little eyes lit up in recognition once she saw what Miyuki had in her hand

Grinning at her delighted expression, Miyuki handed down the toy doggy to Hana. "Tha-ku!" squealed Hana which Miyuki already knew translated to "thank you." Hana set the doggy toy on the floor and proceeded to make her cute little barking noises as she tugged it around the room.

Sayuri pushed herself up into a standing position, making a groaning noise as she stretched the kinks out of her back. "Want some coffee?" she inquired casually as she stepped closer to her friend.

"Sounds great," replied Miyuki and the pair wandered over to the kitchen table.

Sayuri poured them each a cup and brought them over to the table. "What's on the agenda for today? Are you going to the studio?"

Miyuki looked into the cup she was holding and swished the dark liquid around a few times before taking a sip. "I have no idea what I'm going to do today. The way I'm feeling, I don't even know if I want to open the studio. Things haven't exactly gone how I envisioned them."

"Aw! Do I sense a pity party going on across from me?" mocked Sayuri. Miyuki's head snapped up just in time to see Sayuri stick her tongue out at her. Miyuki responded in kind, making a pretend grimace back at Sayuri.

Hana, who wasn't at all happy no one was paying any attention to her, got up on an empty chair and noisily slammed her doggy on the table. "Ruff, ruff!" she asserted and shoved the toy across the table, almost knocking a glass onto the floor. Without thinking twice, Sayuri automatically snatched the runaway toy with one hand as the other caught the tumbler in mid-fall before it could spill its contents. Impressed by her friend's quick reflexes, Miyuki nodded and clapped appreciatively, which got her an annoyed look from Sayuri.

"Missy, how about a video?" offered Sayuri to her daughter.

Hana bounced in the seat and clapped her hands, before climbing down from the chair and toddling over to the television. "Happy Purple Dino!" she shouted and pointed to the blank screen, too excited to stay still.

"Oh, he's my favorite, too," Sayuri responded sarcastically as she rolled her eyes back in her head. In no time, she cued up the tape in the player and Hana began to sing the show's opening song in her little off-key voice with gusto.

Miyuki chuckled softly as she took in the conversation between mother and daughter. She knew that rearing a child was a lot of work, but the rewards certainly seemed to be greater than the aggravations.

For the duration of the "Happy Purple Dinosaur" tape, the two ladies sat at the table and were able to converse without interruption. Sayuri was already concerned about Miyuki's fragile state of mind after her father's death. Upon learning that her friend thought she might have been pregnant and now knew she wasn't, was also a concern to her. "I can't believe you never told me."

"I didn't want to bother you with it. It is a moot point, anyway. I am not pregnant."

Sayuri studied Miyuki's face as she went thoughtful for a few moments. "Did you want to be pregnant?" inquired Sayuri.

"I am not sure what I want."

Leaning forward, Sayuri rested her head on her hand and gazed steadily at her friend. Even though she had gotten quite a bit of sleep, Miyuki still looked tired. "I know what you want," Sayuri suddenly declared. "Why don't you just give in and let him love you. He does love you, you know."

"What do you know?" responded Miyuki hotly, keeping her voice low enough so that Hana wouldn't hear. "If Trunks had really loved me, then why did he treat me the way he did? Why did he parade around with every hootie-momma in a skirt? For years, every magazine I ever picked up had his picture on the cover; every one of them in glorious color with some skanky bimbette hanging all over him! And, if he loved me, why didn't he just come out and tell me that he loved me?"

"As I recall, it was _you _who left _him_," stated Sayuri, giving Miyuki a sharp look. "After you fell asleep last night, he came down and I talked to him for a while. He told me what had happened at the nursing home." Sayuri paused momentarily. "Miyuki, he does love you. He told me that he never stopped loving you. And he told me that he had moved on to other women because he believed that you'd stopped wanting _him_." She shook her head and massaged her temples, then sighed in frustration. "I swear, I would just like to smack some sense into both of you!"

Miyuki was stunned by her friend's response. "He said that–to you?" He had said the same to her, but she assumed he'd said those things only to get inside her pants, not that he really meant them.

"Yes, he said that to me! Why don't you just go to him and tell him how you really feel? Miyuki, for once in your life, don't project into the future. Just go with what you feel!"

Stung a bit by Sayuri's straight-forward words, Miyuki pouted and gave her friend a slightly defensive look. "I don't project...do I?" Sayuri sighed again and rolled her eyes.

The pair continued to converse and drink coffee for a little while longer until Hana's video was done playing. Miyuki placed her empty cup in the sink then went upstairs to take a shower. She knew that Sayuri wanted her to be happy, but Miyuki also knew that she first had to set things right with Trunks. As she dressed and gathered up her photographic equipment, that morning's conversation with Sayuri kept going through her head.

"Mr. Briefs?" came Ms. Cho's voice over the intercom.

"Yes, Achemi?"

"There is a woman here to see you." Trunks' face broke into a smirk.

"You just love saying that, don't you?" he chuckled, for once amused and not annoyed by that familiar announcement. In the past few months, Trunks and Ms. Cho had developed an effective and professional relationship between the two of them once Trunks decided to apply himself fully to his job as the company's president. It was also the first time Trunks' had a working relationship with one of his secretaries that hadn't involved sex in some way.

"She is on her way in," replied Ms. Cho, a smirk on her face as well.

1Miyuki opened the door and strolled into Trunks' office. Trunks watched as she entered and never once took his eyes off her. She walked around his desk and right up to him. She leaned over and while placing her hands on his broad shoulders, lightly kissed him on his lips. It was more of a thank-you kiss, than a passionate one. Then, in a slow swift motion, turned her body sideways and sat in his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him close to her. She placed her head on his left shoulder and closed her eyes. Trunks responded by pulling her close to him. He lightly kissed her forehead and held her. The two of them stayed like that for a few minutes, neither one wanting to ruin the moment by opening their mouths.

Miyuki slowly sat up. The tears that had welled up in her eyes slowly ran down her cheek as she moved. She wasn't sure if they were tears of sorrow or elation as she was feeling both at the same time. Feelings, were foreign to her. She had somehow kept herself so busy for so many years, that feelings were overwhelming, even the good ones. "Trunks," she finally managed to utter. "Would you take me back to that place in the mountains?"

Trunks took his hand and gently wiped away a tear with his thumb. He nodded his head in agreement.

After letting his secretary know that he would be out for the rest of the day, Trunks picked up Miyuki and carried her to the window. Off they flew to their special place.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

**I still do not own DBZ, although I wish I did cause if I did, I would make more episodes!**

After arriving at their spot in the mountains, the pair stood silently, taking in the fresh air and the breathtaking view of the wilderness. They had found a large fallen branch from a tree and seated themselves on it. Trunks picked up a stick and began to absently move around some rocks and twigs. Miyuki sat huddled up with her arms wrapped around her legs tightly. She was deep in thought, although she had hoped being in this place would help to clear her head, it wasn't happening.

Miyuki unfolded her arms and legs and slowly brought herself to a standing position. She stretched her arms far above her head, attempting to get some of the kinks out her back. Her muscles were sore, her head was throbbing, and her eyes were burning from all the crying she'd done. She took a deep breath and started to walk towards a river that ran through the mountains, where some large water birds had chosen to gather. She watched as a mother bird glided over the water's surface followed closely by seven little baby birds. Wherever the mother bird swam, the baby birds peeped and paddled like mad, doing their best to keep up with her, but never straying too far. Miyuki watched their antics and, for a brief moment, forgot about all that had happened to her and enjoyed the wonders of nature. She smiled.

Trunks watched her walk wordlessly towards the river. After a few minutes, he too got up from his seated position as well. He took out his capsule wallet and produced the tent capsule which they had used the night of their tryst weeks before. He glanced at Miyuki, and seeing that she was content in watching the birds, gathered some sticks in a pile and started a small camp fire.

Miyuki was brought back to reality by the smell of the fire and turned her head to see their camp already laid out. She smiled weakly in the corner of her mouth and sauntered over to where Trunks was gathering more wood. She watched him break off several branches from the fallen tree, so large that no normal man could have lifted, let alone break. He was so strong, yet so naïve about a lot of things.

Out of the corner of his eye, Trunks saw her watching him and stopped what he was doing. He casually brushed off his hands on his trousers and turned to her, opening his arms as an invitation to sit by the camp fire. He had also brought some small folding chairs on which they both could sit and Miyuki took him up on his invitation.

"Thanks for bringing me here," volunteered Miyuki after a long silence.

Trunks smiled at her. "I can't think of any other place I would rather be right now."

"You wouldn't rather be behind your desk signing papers?" asked Miyuki with a smirk on her face.

"I think you know the answer to that question."

Miyuki reached over to Trunks and interlaced her fingers in his. He turned his hand palm-up and held her hand tightly. Their eyes met and Miyuki stared at his face. He definitely looked more like a man than he did seven years ago. His features were more pronounced and his eyes had become more serious, much like his father. Trunks wasn't like his father though, he was much more like Bulma. _Perhaps that is why I love you so much,_ thought Miyuki, momentarily forgetting his ability to read her mind.

In response to her unspoken thoughts, Trunks bent down and kissed her fingers lightly. Although he wasn't really trying, he felt a pang of guilt when he realized she probably didn't want him to hear what she had just thought. _I never stopped loving you, Miyuki, _he communicated to her telepathically.

Miyuki smiled. "Why, Trunks? Why do you love me so much? Why would you love someone who is so messed up in the head and has no idea what she wants?"

Trunks shook his head. "You are way too hard on yourself. You are the most together person I know. You had some very troubling things happen to you in the last few weeks. I like to see that someone like you can actually not be so together all the time."

"I am an alcoholic. I set high expectations for myself and when I don't meet them, it is an excuse to beat up on myself," said Miyuki with a hint of sarcasm.

"Well, don't! You don't deserve it! I would be horribly devastated if I lost one of my parents. Even though he was a bastard, he was still your dad."

Miyuki got up from the chair she was sitting in and got in Trunks' lap. She just wanted to be held. It had been so long since she had felt the touch of another person. "Do you remember when you asked me to marry you?"

"Yeah," replied Trunks.

"Did you really mean that? I mean do you really want to marry a crazy person like me?"

Trunks held her as close to him as he possibly could. "Yes, I meant it when I asked you to marry me. Perhaps, I didn't understand why at the time, but since you have been here, and I have been pushed into taking responsibility for Capsule Corp., I understand why I need you. You don't let me get away with all the crap that everyone else does. You call me on it. You force me to think in ways I never thought of. I don't know anyone else like you."

Miyuki sat up and looked at him. His eyes were a deep shade of blue. It amazed her how his eyes could change color with his moods. "Well," she began then paused. "I will think about it."

Trunks smiled and pulled her back to him to rest on his chest. Again, he picked up her hand and kissed it. He lingered his lips on the skin of her hand and tightly kept his eyes closed. At least, this time her answer wasn't "_no"_ and to him, that was a step in the right direction.

Miyuki whispered softly in Trunks' ear. "I feel like I have experienced two losses. When I started my period and realized I wasn't pregnant…" her voice trailed off, unable to finish the sentence.

"I felt the same way," whispered Trunks.

Another long silence ensued as the two retreated into their own thoughts. Miyuki knew that being pregnant was not the best thing that could happen to her. She still needed to figure out who she was and what she wanted. A child would have made things very complicated. Yet, staying with her friend and Hana, Miyuki had gotten to see firsthand how the benefits far outweighed the responsibilities and Sayuri had never seemed so happy since she had known her. Miyuki sat up and looked around at their surroundings. "Is that a path over there through the woods?" she asked.

Trunks stretched his neck to see where she was looking. "Yeah. Goten and I made that path. We used to camp here a lot when we were younger, but I haven't been here very often since then. Would you like to take a walk?"

Miyuki nodded her head in agreement and the two of them got up and headed toward the path. Miyuki pointed out the mother and baby birds, which were now on the shore pecking and scratching around for food. Trunks took her hand and led her toward the path. They walked for a while in silence. Finally, Miyuki spoke. "Are you sure you know where you are going?"

"Sure, I know this pathway like the back of my hand. Besides, if we do get lost, not that we will, but if we did, we could just go straight up." Trunks flashed a bright smile.

"Oh, yeah, I forgot about your 'super powers.'" Miyuki rolled her eyes.

They walked for a while longer until they came upon a clearing. There was a fabulous rock formation with a flowing waterfall. The sun was peeking out from behind a large cloud causing a colorful rainbow to appear for a brief moment through the watery mist, before the sunlight's shifting made it vanish. The pair lingered there for a moment then Trunks picked up Miyuki and ascended to the top of the mountain. He gently placed Miyuki down. She was mesmerized by the panoramic view of Satan City on the one side and the waterfall on the other. As she stood looking out over the city, Trunks wrapped his arms around her from behind and gently rested his head on top of hers. There they stayed, until a stray drop of rain touched Miyuki's cheek. "Uh-oh," she said softly.

As she said it, Trunks felt another raindrop brush against his arm. "I guess we better get back to camp." With that, he picked her up and they quickly flew back to their campsite. Just as they landed, the sky opened up in earnest and they frantically ran into the tent, but not before both of them managed to get a good soaking. They were standing there dripping, not a dry stitch between them, when all of a sudden Miyuki burst out laughing. Trunks laughed with her. Trunks pulled out his Capsule wallet and produced some towels.

Miyuki raised an eyebrow at him. "Did you know it was going to rain?"

"No, I just have every capsule there is. I am the capsule king, remember?" He smiled his big silly smile at her, as he had earlier.

Miyuki shook her head. She looked down at her wet clothes and started to peel herself out of them. "You lingered outside just long enough to get me soaked, didn't you?"

"Me? Now why would I do a thing like that?" Trunks hadn't deliberately meant to get her soaked, but now he was glad that he did. It seemed to put her in a better mood. "I promise not to take advantage of you while you undress. I will even shut my eyes if you want."

"Why bother? You have seen everything there is to see many times." Miyuki proceeded to remove the rest of her wet clothes and grab a towel. Trunks had already removed his shirt and shoes. He found some dry matches and proceeded to light the three lanterns that hung from the top of the tent. He then got a bottle of water, trying not to stare at Miyuki. As he took a swig of water, he caught sight of her. She had stripped down to her lacy panties and was drying herself off. The lanterns' light accentuated her soft skin. Miyuki then grabbed her purse, which she had the foresight to put in the tent when they arrived. She pulled out a capsule which contained a t-shirt. She slipped into the t-shirt and then discovered Trunks looking at her. She smiled at him and turned away. Trunks took off his wet pants and pulled on a pair of sweat shorts that he had gotten from his capsule stash. He took a bottle of water over to Miyuki and handed it to her. She took it from him and turned to look at him. "I think we need to have a long talk."

"You are probably right," replied Trunks.

For the next two hours, time stood still for the pair. They talked, and yelled, and fussed, and laughed. The rain had stopped long before their conversation did, but nothing interrupted them. They hashed out, argued, complained, over-analyzed, under-analyzed, disputed, disagreed, agreed, bickered, squabbled, saw eye-to-eye, and finally came to an understanding about where their relationship had been, and where it was going.

"So, we are going to start all over, and see where it goes from here?" clarified Miyuki.

"Yes. I would like that very much."


End file.
